From Adia Jildo, in Juba
Fire has claimed three lives and injured two others in Peiri, South Sudan, after a plane caught fire during an accident leading to a catastrophic fire spreading to huts adjacent to the airstrip on Thursday.
A cargo aircraft chartered by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and operated by a commercial operator caught fire after landing at Pieri airstrip in South Sudan’s Jonglei State.
World Food Programme said the reasons for the accident of the cargo plane which was carrying humanitarian goods from Bor were not yet known, but assured the public that investigations into the cause of the accident are being done.
“The cause of the accident is unclear. The commercial operator, WFP, and local aviation authorities are working together to determine what happened,” said World Food Programme in a press release it issued.
The two crew members who were injured were reported to be receiving treatment and now in stable conditions.
The cargo for the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), including blankets, buckets, soap, sleeping mats, and collapsible jerrycans were destroyed in the accident.
In a separate development, over 30 passengers and a flight crew had
9 survived during an emergency landing of a United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) at Malakal Airport after losing two of its rear tires upon take off in Maban County on Friday.
