Sudanese officials survive multiple plane incidents
February 28, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A senior official in Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) survived a helicopter crash on Saturday as they accompanied the delegation of President Omer Hassan al-Bashir to the state of Gedaref as part of his re-election campaign.
They said the pilot made an emergency landing between homes at the village of Chmiliab in eastern Gedaref after the aircraft plowed into an electrical pole.
According to eyewitnesses, the helicopter tumbled in a residential area and caused the collapse of one of the houses, which are typically built of straw but it does not appear that any of the passengers of the plane belonging to “Green Flag” company was hurt.
A similar incident occurred in February 2012 when the then minister of agriculture Abdel Halim Ismail al-Mutafi and eight other people accompanying him including Iranians investors survived a helicopter crash in eastern Sudan which killed three passengers on spot.
The minister and the Iranian investors had boarded MI-17 also leased from the “Green Flag” company to inspect agricultural projects in Gedaref State.
At Khartoum International Airport, a helicopter belonging to the same company burst into flames minutes after Sudan’s second vice-president Hassabo Abdel Rahman disembarked upon returning from the city of Wad Medani.
Flames were seen rising in the back of the helicopter before fire trucks rushed to extinguish it.
The airport’s Salah Salam told Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) website on Saturday that the helicopter was hauled after landing according to the procedures to a dedicated storehouse during which it encountered a dust storm.
He pointed out that the storm made the helicopter bend which caused a friction that resulted in a spark which caused the fire.
Salam noted that the incident did not result in the loss of life except to slight injuries sustained by one of the stewards named al-Tayeb Abdel-Samad.
“The civil defence forces rushed toward the helicopter and contained the fire which affected parts of it”.
He stressed that authorities are conducting investigations to determine causes and that the airport continued to receive planes in accordance with the schedule including the president’s plane and 1st VP plane as well.
He said the helicopter carrying the NCP official and press corps landed after resuming its trip following the emergency landing.
(ST)