A Kenyan was among the crew members who passed away after a humanitarian cargo plane crashed in South Sudan on Tuesday, November 25.
The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the tragedy, stating that all three people on board were killed while delivering food aid to flood-affected victims.
According to the authority, the crew included citizens from Kenya, Ukraine and South Sudan and were aboard the ill-fated plane which had taken off from Juba on Tuesday.
The accident occurred when the aircraft attempted to land in Leer County in Unity State in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan but encountered difficulties and crashed at around 8:30am, killing everyone on board instantly.
Local officials in South Sudan have since confirmed that two bodies, that of the Ukrainian pilot and the South Sudanese engineer, had already been recovered from the wreckage, with efforts underway to account for the Kenyan crew member.
Kueth Latjor, the Executive Director and Acting Commissioner of Leer County, described the crash as unfortunate, as he confirmed that the plane experienced mechanical difficulties shortly after takeoff.
The flight, identified as Charter Flight 114, was hired to transport food supplies to Juba communities, which have been affected for months by severe flooding. It was being operated by
One factor that made recovery efforts difficult was the fact that the crash occurred in a very remote area, which, according to Latjor, can only be reached on foot in about three hours.
Authorities have since coordinated a response team, while an investigation into the circumstances of the crash has been launched.
Notably, South Sudan has a history of aviation accidents, which have often been linked to ageing aircraft. Other factors like overloading, limited safety infrastructure and challenging weather conditions have also come into play in past accidents.
One of the most tragic incidents in recent years was the 2015 Juba Antonov crash, involving a cargo plane crash which killed 37 people. Three years later, there was a crash near Lake Yirol, which claimed 20 lives.
Another recent incident occurred in January 2025, when a Beechcraft 1900D aircraft, chartered by an oil company, crashed in Unity State, killing 20 of the 21 passengers on board. This aircraft also went down shortly after takeoff.
