At Least 20 Killed in South Sudan Plane Crash

At least 20 people have been killed in a plane crash in the north of South Sudan on Wednesday, 29 January 2025.

The aircraft, 5X–RHB, came down near the oil fields in Unity State at about 10:30 am (8:30 am GMT) shortly after taking off for the capital, Juba.

Among the victims are 15 South Sudanese and five foreign nationals, including two Chinese passenger, one Indian passenger, and two Ugandan crew members. All of the passengers, who were all men, are employees of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC).

According to news reports, only one person survived, who is in critical condition and admitted to a hospital in Unity State.

The pilot and co-pilot were among those killed. The aircraft, which was operated by Light Air Services Aviation Company, was on a routine exploration mission to Juba.

The cause of the plane crash has not been determined. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has ordered an investigation into the plane crash.

Plane crashes are common in South Sudan, and frequently blamed on overloading of the aircraft or the weather conditions.

Most recently, in 2021, five people were killed after a cargo plane carrying fuel for the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) crashed near Juba. A 2015 crash of an Antonov plane in Juba that killed 36 people.