South Sudan plane crash survivor says plane held riders as cargo

JUBA, South Sudan — The lone adult survivor of a South Sudan plane crash said Saturday that he cradled a stranger’s baby in his arms as doomed passengers shouted that the aircraft was going down, and he and the child were the only people who lived ......

JUBA, South Sudan — The lone adult survivor of a South Sudan plane crash said Saturday that he cradled a stranger’s baby in his arms as doomed passengers shouted that the aircraft was going down, and he and the child were the only people who lived through the carnage.

Wuor Arop also said from his hospital bed, where he was recovering with limbs broken in six places and a head injury, that the plane carried more than 30 unauthorized passengers.The Soviet-built Antonov AN-12 had taken off from South Sudan’s capital, Juba, on Wednesday and was headed for the Paloich oil fields with a crew of six when it crashed, according to South Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority. Thirty-seven people died in the crash, said officials.The only other survivor is a 13-month old baby not related to Arop. She survived with a broken leg and a cut on her forehead.‘‘The baby I grabbed was near me,’’ Arop said. ‘‘Plus my friend who was near me — he stepped on me so I grabbed him.’’ He said he remembers his friend calling out his name just before impact. Arop said he paid less than $30 at Juba street-exchange rates, to an unofficial ‘‘dealmaker’’ for a seat on the cargo flight. He said no ticket was issued and the fee was split between the pilot and the broker.He was one of nine people besides the crew who had seats on the plane, while the other passengers sat among the cargo, which included cheap sandals, crackers, cans of beer, and medicine, he said.The plane’s three black boxes were recovered, Minister of Transportation Kuong Danhier Gatluak said Saturday. The government has banned all AN-12s from flying in South Sudan for the time being, he said.William Deng of Allied Services Ltd., the company which operated the Tajikistan-registered plane, declined to answer questions Saturday.