Military plane crashes in Sudan, leaving multiple dead and injured

A military plane crash in Sudan has left several military personnel and civilians dead and injured, according to officials.

The Sudanese Armed Forces confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that one of their military aircraft crashed while taking off from Wadi Seidna Air Base, near the capital, Khartoum.

“We counted a number of dead and injured military personnel and civilians,” the statement read. “The injured were treated, while fire brigades successfully controlled the fire at the crash site.”

A medical source told AFP that at least five civilians were killed in the incident. Meanwhile, the Karari Resistance Committee, a pro-democracy activist group, reported that at least 10 bodies were brought to a local hospital, according to Al Arabiya.

According to AFP, citing a military source who spoke on condition of anonymity, the crash involved an Antonov aircraft that suffered a technical malfunction. Several Sudanese Armed Forces officers were among those killed.

Witnesses cited by AFP reported that several homes were damaged by the crash. The incident also caused power outages in the surrounding area near Wadi Seidna Air Base.

The crash occurred amid the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023. The war has led to widespread fighting across the country, including in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan.