Sudan cargo plane crashes north of the southern town of Malakal

Source: TVNZ

A Sudanese cargo plane crashed in bad weather on Friday, killing seven of the eight crew north of the southern town of Malakal, an aviation official said.

The survivor was recovering in hospital, said Abu Bakr Jaafar, head of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Earlier this month a Sudan Airways passenger plane caught fire in Khartoum killing 30 people.

"The crew were three Sudanese, four Ukranian and one Armenian," Jaafar said. The plane was travelling from Khartoum to the southern capital Juba.

The cause was unclear but Jaafar said the survivor told them all four engines of the Antonov 12 plane failed after being hit twice by what appeared to be lightning. The plane belonged to the Juba Cargo Company, he added.