More than 300 South Sudanese passengers who fled conflict in Sudan survived a plane crash at Juba International Airport on Friday.
The passengers on board were believed to be South Sudanese returnees who were stranded at Palouch in Upper Nile State.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority at the Juba International Airport, the Cargo plane missed the runway as a result of the heavy downpours that occurred in Juba that afternoon.
The Managing Director, Kur Kuol of Juba International Airport confirmed to the media that the rain made the runway slippery causing the plane to run off and crashed.
The aircraft, plane number 707 is alleged to belong to Eagle Aviation and was contracted by the National Member of Parliament Bibi Ali and his wife Chagai Muorwel.
Bibi Ali, a businessman who is also the CEO of Bibi’s Empire Group together with his wife hired the cargo as a goodwill gesture to ferry South Sudanese citizens who were stranded at Paloch in Upper Nile State, after fleeing conflict in Sudan.
The management of Eagle Aviation Company was contracted on Wednesday by Bibi’s Empire to do seven round trips between Paloch and Juba.
On Friday afternoon the cargo ran off the runway after completing only 3 trips, however, there are no casualties reported so far.
It is not yet clear how many returnees have been airlifted from Palouch to Juba in all three trips that were made.
According to the official, the aircraft left Juba International Airport on Friday morning to Palouch but crashed upon return.
Several attempts to reach Eagle Aviation management for comments were not successful by the time this news article went to the press.
There have been rampant incidences of plane crashes in the country, with many being attributed to the use of outdated aircraft as well as overload.
Earlier this month, a UN Helicopter crashed 2 minutes after taking off from Juba International Airport.
Also, in February this year, a Transition Aviation Cargo aircraft carrying Primary Eight Examination papers rammed into a tukul, killing a woman on the spot after taking off from Ulang Airtrip in Upper Nile State.
In 2020, the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority banned several Antonov planes and ordered the owners to ground them.