Sudan military plane crashes killing all four crew: SAF
June 21, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese military plane crashed on Wednesday in the Northern State, killing all four crew members on board, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said.
In a press release extended to Sudan Tribune Wednesday, SAF spokesperson Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami said the “Mi-17 helicopter crashed after taking off on an official mission from Dongola Airport to El-Daba town”.
He blamed “bad weather conditions” for the incident, saying all four crew have been killed without disclosing the identities of the victims.
Sudan’s air force fleet of Russian-made planes and helicopters has suffered a number of losses in recent years, with the military frequently blaming technical problems.
Last October, a Bo 360 helicopter crashed in Um Hani area, White Nile State, 105 kilometres south of Khartoum killing the pilot and injuring two crew members.
In April 2016, an Antonov 26 fighter jet crashed while landing at the airport in El Obied, the capital of North Kordofan state, killing all five crew members on board.
Also, 32 people were killed in August 2012 when their Antonov AN-26 crashed in Talodi, South Kordofan’s third-largest town.
In October 2012, an Antonov plane crashed in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman killing 12 people.
Two air force crew died in June 2013 when their helicopter crashed in war-torn Blue Nile state, just a week after one went down in South Kordofan.
(ST)