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Sudan orders Antonov aircraft ban | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Sudan's president has ordered a ban on all Antonov and Ilyushin passenger and cargo aircraft following the latest crash near Khartoum, state media says. | |
President Omar al-Bashir also sacked the head of the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and ordered an investigation into recent crashes. | |
The four Russian crew on the plane were killed in Monday's crash. | |
This was Sudan's fourth fatal plane crash in just two months. The ban does not, however, apply to military planes. | |
Sudan's rebel groups often accuse the military of using Antonov planes to drop bombs on villages in war-zones. | |
Soviet-era aircraft are commonly used to transport goods and passengers in many African countries, as they are far cheaper than newer models. | |
Plane 'disintegrated' | Plane 'disintegrated' |
The CAA's Abdel Rahim said the Russian cargo plane was heading for the South Sudanese capital Juba but crashed "less than one kilometre or so from the airport". | |
The plane, which was reported to be an Ilyushin 76, crashed shortly after take-off, officials said. | |
Witnesses at the crash site told the BBC's Amber Henshaw that the plane seemed to have crashed through power lines and skidded across a major road, before disintegrating on a patch of wasteland near an office block. | Witnesses at the crash site told the BBC's Amber Henshaw that the plane seemed to have crashed through power lines and skidded across a major road, before disintegrating on a patch of wasteland near an office block. |
"It had a good run down the runway and it got airborne", one witness said. | "It had a good run down the runway and it got airborne", one witness said. |
"Then it started a left-hand turn and it looked like his wing stalled so the air was going over the wing not under it. There was an explosion and a huge plume of smoke." | "Then it started a left-hand turn and it looked like his wing stalled so the air was going over the wing not under it. There was an explosion and a huge plume of smoke." |
Another witness added: "It had barely left the ground - maybe just 50ft in the air - and it veered suddenly to the left and it blew up into a fireball." | Another witness added: "It had barely left the ground - maybe just 50ft in the air - and it veered suddenly to the left and it blew up into a fireball." |
The cargo plane took off just before 0700 local time (0400 GMT), but then experienced a problem with one of its wings and crashed at the end of the runway, according to witnesses. | The cargo plane took off just before 0700 local time (0400 GMT), but then experienced a problem with one of its wings and crashed at the end of the runway, according to witnesses. |
Our correspondent says there is little left of the plane, and the wreckage is scattered across a wide area. | Our correspondent says there is little left of the plane, and the wreckage is scattered across a wide area. |
Sudan has a poor reputation for air safety, especially on domestic flights. | |
About 30 people died earlier this month when a plane burst into flames after landing at Khartoum airport. |