At least 20 people were killed on Wednesday when a Beechcraft 1900D aircraft crashed just 10 minutes after take-off in South Sudan.
The plane, registered as 5X-RHB and hired by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC), was transporting oil workers from the Unity oilfields in Rubkona County when it went down.
According to local officials, the chartered light aircraft had 21 people on board, including two crew members.
Gatwech Bipal, Unity State’s information minister, told the media that 17 of the deceased were South Sudanese nationals, while two were Chinese and one Indian.
Bipal said two of the three initial survivors had succumbed to their injuries as they were being taken to hospital, leaving only one survivor.
An eyewitness stated that the aircraft had already departed from the oilfield area when its 'wing snapped off', causing it to apparently lose control and crash.
