Sudan investigates plane crash, toll unclear

Sudanese investigators on Wednesday were trying to determine what caused a jetliner that had just landed in a thunderstorm...

Sudanese investigators on Wednesday were trying to determine what caused a jetliner that had just landed in a thunderstorm to veer off a runway and burst into flames in Sudan’s capital.

At least 29 people were killed inside the burning plane, while 171 managed to escape, said Sudan Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdel Hafez Abdel Rahim Mahmoud said, adding that 14 still remained unaccounted for. Many passengers fleeing the burning plane did bother to pass through customs, making the toll initially difficult to ascertain.

By Wednesday morning, the fire has been completely extinguished and civil defence officials were now examining the wreckage to determine the causes of the crash, police spokesman Maj Gen Mohammed Abdel Majid al-Tayeb told the official SUNA news agency.

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The Sudan Airways jetliner appeared to have gone off the runway after landing at Khartoum International Airport, and several loud explosions resounded as fire raced through the aircraft, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said.

The roaring blaze dwarfed the Airbus A310’s shattered fuselage as firefighters sprayed water, Sudanese TV footage showed. Ambulances and firetrucks rushed to the scene, and media were kept away.

One survivour said the landing was “rough”, and there was a sharp impact several minutes later.

“The right wing was on fire,” said the passenger, who did not give his name. He said smoke got into the cockpit and some people started opening the emergency exits. Soon, fire engulfed the plane, he told Sudanese television.