46 killed in Sudanese military aircraft crash in Omdurman

The Sudanese military aircraft crash in Omdurman has killed 46 people, including women and children, reported AP on Wednesday.

The crash is considered to be one of the deadliest plane crashes in Sudan over the last two decades.

On Tuesday, an Antonov aircraft crashed at Karrari, a populated district in Omdurman, injuring 10 people, the report said, citing the government-run Khartoum Media Office. The health ministry provided an initial death toll of 19.

The plane crashed while taking off from the Wadi Sayidna air base north of Omdurman, as per a military statement cited by the report.

Apart from the death toll, the crash damaged several houses in the Karrari district. Both armed personnel and civilians were killed, as per the military. However, the reason for the crash is still unknown.

The deceased included senior military officers, Maj. Gen. Bahr Ahmed Bahr, Lt. Col. Awad Ayoub, and the aircraft crew.

The dead also included women and children, wherein five of them were siblings, the report said, citing an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The aircraft was on its way to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan when it crashed over the Al-Thawra neighbourhood in the Karrari district, reported local media.

Aircraft crashes in Sudan

In Sudan, aircraft crashes have become common with a poor aviation safety record. Nearly 16 people were killed in 2020 after a military plane, a Russian Antonov An-12, crashed in the western region of Darfur. At least 116 people were killed after a civilian Sudan Airways plane crashed in 2003 towards the hillside while trying to make an emergency landing. Only a boy survived the crash.

Cholera outbreak in Sudan

In recent months, more than 1,400 died due to a cholera outbreak in Sudan. The outbreak has killed 1,472 people in several provinces in recent months, the report said citing the Health Ministry. Over 56,000 have contracted Cholera since July 2024.