UPDATED: Abyei cargo plane crashes with PLE exams

A cargo plane crashed at Agok airstrip in Abyei Administrative Area yesterday was commissioned to distribute Primary Leaving Examination papers.

The incident occurred yesterday morning after the successful delivery of exam papers to Rubkona, Unity Nile State, as well as Ajuongtok in the Ruweng Administrative Area.

Speaking to The City Review, the Director-General of Juba International Airport, Kur Kuol, said the plane was expected to proceed to Rumbek before returning to Juba.

He said all individuals on board, among them five crew members, teachers, intelligence personnel, and a military police officer, had survived the accident.

Kur said the preliminary report from the scene of the accident has equated the crash to potholes at the airstrip and the length of the field, which was too short for a safe landing.

“The plane was carrying examinations and all the 12 people who were on board are safe. We are investigating what exactly happened, but according to the information I received, the runway had “very many potholes, which are very dangerous for the aircraft, and the distance of the airstrip is very short,” said Mr Kur.

The primary leaving examination has been scheduled for February 14, 2022.

However, the Ministry of General Education and Instruction is yet to issue a statement on the safety of the papers to ensure no leakage of the exams. The incident could also affect the timely distribution of exams in the outreach areas.

However, this is the latest plane crash in South Sudan, following the early November 2021 crash that killed five people at Gondokoro Island shortly after taking off at Juba International Airport.

Recent clashes

The incident joins similar others involving Antonov cargo planes in the country that have not been investigated and made public to unearth the errors that led to the accidents.

In August 2020, a cargo plane belonging to a local operator crashed in Juba, killing four passengers and three crew members.

The plane crashed in the Kameru neighbourhood, shortly after its early morning take-off on Saturday from Juba International Airport.

In March this year, at least 10 people, including the two pilots, died when a plane crashed at an airstrip, Pieri Village, in Jonglei state.

On May 21, 2021, the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) temporarily banned all airlines in the country from operating pending further investigations and instructions that accept UN and Military aircraft, the Antonov An-26.