At least 36 people are feared dead as a cargo plane crashed minutes after take-off at the international airport in Juba, South Sudan’s capital on Wednesday.
The plane, Antonov An-12, was said to be heading to Paloch, Upper Nile State, before crashing half a mile from the runway.
Presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny said the plane was carrying 18 people, including six crew members.
Information as to the number of survivors is still scanty. While Ateny said three people survived the crash, Transport Minister Kuong Gatluak told the BBC only two people were pulled out alive.
The crashed plane’s first flight was first recorded 44 years ago, in 1971, the BBC reported the Aviation Safety Network as saying.