A cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff Monday from Khartoum's airport, killing all four Russian crew members aboard. It was the second plane crash in Sudan in a week and the third this month.
According to the AP, the plane hit an electricity pole shortly after takeoff and then crashed into an empty field, bursting into flames, said Sudan's state Omdurman radio. Abdel Hafez Abdel Rahim, a spokesman for the country's civil aviation authority, said the plane hit the electricity pole as it was already crashing.
The plane's blackened tail landed just a few yards from a group of apartment buildings.
The head of Sudanese police, Gen. Mohammad Najib, told The Associated Press there should be an inquiry into the recurring plane crashes. "This is something that must be looked at closely," he said. The four crew members were believed to be Russian, said Abdel Rahim. The plane was headed for the south Sudanese capital of Juba. Its cargo was not immediately known.
© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
