The incident, the cause of which is unknown, added to the devastation caused by years of civil war.
At least 46 people have been killed when a military plane crashed in a residential area of Sudan's capital, regional officials say, adding to the destruction in a city already ravaged by nearly three years of civil war.
It was one of the deadliest air disasters in Sudan's recent history, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency. The state government in Khartoum, the capital, said in a statement that the dead included passengers on the plane and residents on the ground.
Sudan's military said in a statement that the plane, an Antonov cargo jet, crashed Tuesday night while taking off from Wadi Seidna airbase near Khartoum. It did not give a cause for the crash or details about the dead.
The crash also injured at least 10 people in a city block in Al-Thawra, a residential area near the air base, the state government said. Among the injured were two young children, the state health ministry said.
Much of Khartoum has been destroyed in street fighting as conflict between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced at least 11 million. The cityscape is now in ruins.
In December, the world's hunger body warned that fighting had escalated in recent weeks, killing hundreds and leaving protracted fighting leaving some 24.6 million people – about half of Sudan's population – even more vulnerable to hunger.
The airbase is a key part of the Sudanese military's campaign to retake Khartoum. The plane was carrying civilians and troops, the military said.
The military has launched drones from the airbase to battle RSF fighters who have seized parts of the capital. The base is also a logistics hub for cargo flights, including those carrying ammunition.
On Monday, the RSF said its fighters had shot down another warplane flying over Nyala, a town in South Darfur state, southwest of Sudan. Sudan's military has not commented on the claim.
In October, another military cargo plane crashed in northern Darfur, killing three Sudanese officers and two Russians, The Sudan Tribune reported. It is unclear what led to the crash.
Even before the war, Sudan had seen several deadly incidents involving military and commercial aircraft carriers.
In 2003, a Sudan Airways plane crashed into a hillside, killing 116 people and leaving a young boy as the sole survivor. In 2008, a Sudan Airways plane caught fire after landing at Khartoum airport, killing 28 people. And in 2020, an Antonov plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the West Darfur region, killing all 16 people on board.
Lynsey Chutel is a London-based Times reporter covering breaking news from Africa, the Middle East and Europe. More about Lynsey Chutel
