Local officials said on Wednesday (January 24th) that a small plane carrying oil workers from a joint venture under China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) crashed in Unity State, South Sudan, resulting in the deaths of 20 people with only one survivor.
Gatwech Bipal, the minister of information of Unity State, stated that the plane crashed at Unity oilfield airport in the morning as it was preparing to fly to the capital Juba.
The passengers on board were oil workers from the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC), a company jointly owned by CNPC and the state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation of South Sudan.
Among the deceased were two Chinese citizens and one Indian citizen, according to Bipal.
Bipal did not provide further details about the cause of the crash. Earlier reports indicated 18 fatalities, but Bipal confirmed to Reuters that two survivors succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to 20. The sole survivor, a South Sudanese engineer, has been taken to a hospital in Bentiu State for treatment.
Images circulating on social media show the crashed plane overturned on the ground, its fuselage severely deformed with debris scattered around. Some unverified photos depict the bodies of the victims exposed amidst the wreckage.
The aircraft, manufactured in Ukraine, was leased by GPOC and operated by Light Air Services Aviation Company for routine flight missions.
South Sudan has witnessed several aviation accidents in recent years. In September 2018, a small passenger plane flying from Juba to Yirol crashed, resulting in at least 19 fatalities.
In 2021, a cargo plane transporting fuel for the United Nations World Food Programme crashed near Juba, leading to the death of five individuals.
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has been grappling with economic and political turmoil, lagging behind in infrastructure development and facing serious aviation safety issues.
In 2015, a Antonov aircraft crashed in Juba, claiming the lives of 36 people, with overloading considered as one of the contributing factors to the accident.
In 2017, a plane collided with a fire truck upon landing at Wau airport, subsequently catching fire, miraculously leaving all 37 passengers on board unharmed.