Passenger plane crashes in Darfur

(Update 12 November) – A passenger aircraft crashed on Thursday in the town of Zalingei in West Darfur, killing at least one passenger according to officials. Local sources, on the other hand, have reported between 8 and 15 fatal casualties. The plane was carrying an estimated 50 people. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the plane came down at about 4:15 p.m. on Thursday.Witnesses recalled that the Russian built Antonov-26 type airplane tried to land with its tail on fire. On the landing strip, the plane broke in two. There were survivors but it is not clear how many. The survivors were said to have been seated in the front part of the plane.

There were conflicting witness accounts on the number of injured survivors, with the number reported by some to be between 8 and 10. Some media reports had put the death toll as high as 15, with news agency AFP citing hospital sources as saying six people were killed.

The wrecked plane is owned by Tarco Company and flew a route from Khartoum to El Fasher to Zalingei. There is another airline operating flights between Khartoum and Zalingei, known as Bentiu Company. The companies have been using the Russian-built Antonov airplanes.