South South: Plane strikes house, kills child

August 24, 2017 (JUBA) – A five-year old girl was killed in South Sudan when a United Nations World Food Program-contracted aircraft struck a house as it attempted to land due to bad weather in the the capital, Juba, the agency said.

The cargo aircraft, according to WFP’s statement, had been contracted to airdrop food.

“We regret to report that a 5-year-old girl was confirmed dead at Juba Teaching Hospital where she was taken following the incident yesterday,” said WFP South Sudan Country Director Adnan Khan

“The plane hit a tree before clipping the metal roof of a single-story house as it tried to land in heavy rain,” it stated.

The agency, however, expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased child, but stressed that it will provide “all possible support to them in this terrible tragedy.”

The aircraft, it said, then diverted to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

“The safety and well-being of the people of South Sudan are our top priority. We and the aviation authorities will closely examine what happened so that more innocent lives are not put at risk,” Khan said.

Meanwhile, WFP said an investigation into the cause of Tuesday’s accident is underway.

(ST)