At least 20 dead in plane crash in South Sudan, officials confirm

The passengers included 16 South Sudanese, two Chinese nationals, and 1 Indian, all employees of GPOC

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At least 20 people have been killed in a plane crash in the northern region of South Sudan, officials have confirmed. The crash occurred near the oil fields in Unity state at approximately 10:30am local time (08:30 GMT) on Wednesday, shortly after the aircraft took off for the capital, Juba.

The plane, which was carrying 21 people, crashed just 500 metres from the airport. Unity state's minister for information, Gatwech Bipal Both, told AFP that only one person survived the incident. The victims included 16 South Sudanese nationals, two Chinese nationals, and one Indian, all employees of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC).

The aircraft was reportedly on a routine mission to the area at the time of the crash. The United Nations' Radio Miraya confirmed that both the pilot and co-pilot were among those killed.

Images shared on social media depicted the plane upside down in a field with debris scattered across the surrounding area.

Overloading of planes has been a common issue in South Sudan, which is believed to have contributed to a previous deadly crash in Juba in 2015, when an Antonov plane went down, killing 36 people.