South Sudan: At least 18 dead in plane crash

Juba: A small plane crashed in a remote part of South Sudan, killing at least 18

people on Wednesday, an official said.

The flight, chartered by Chinese oil firm Greater Pioneer Operating Co., had 21 people on board, including two pilots, said Gatwech Bipal, the minister of information in the oil-rich Unity state, where the crash happened earlier on Wednesday. The plane crashed while it was taking off near an oil field to head to the international airport in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, he said.

Local media reported that the plane was carrying oil workers. The UN-affiliated Radio Miraya, citing the flight manifest, reported that the victims included mostly South Sudanese, one Indian and two Chinese nationals. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, and authorities had not yet revealed the identities of the victims.