ALBAWABA- A small passenger plane crashed southwest of South Sudan’s capital, Juba, on Monday morning, killing all 14 people on board, according to the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA).
The aircraft, a Cessna 208 Caravan operated by CityLink Aviation Limited and registered as 5Y-NOK, departed from Yei en route to Juba International Airport. Contact with the plane was lost around 30 minutes into the flight.
The crash occurred in the Luri area, about 20 kilometers southwest of Juba.
Authorities said the plane was carrying 13 passengers and one pilot. The passengers included 12 South Sudanese nationals and two Kenyan nationals. Officials confirmed there were no survivors.
Initial reports indicated that the aircraft may have struck mountainous terrain before catching fire. Some accounts said the victims’ bodies were severely burned, making identification difficult.
Preliminary findings suggest poor weather conditions, including low visibility, may have contributed to the crash, although the exact cause remains under investigation. The SSCAA said it had dispatched an investigation team to the crash site to support emergency responders, collect evidence, and launch a formal inquiry into the incident.
South Sudan’s aviation sector faces significant challenges, including limited infrastructure, unpredictable weather conditions, and operational difficulties in remote areas. Air accidents have remained a recurring concern in the country.
The latest crash follows several deadly aviation incidents in recent months. In November 2025, a humanitarian cargo plane crashed in Unity State while delivering food aid, killing three crew members.
Earlier, in January 2025, another aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from an oilfield airport in the same state, killing around 20 people, many of them oil workers.
