Following yesterday’s civilian aircraft crash near Juba International Airport, an UNMISS team today joined a search and recovery operation led by the South Sudanese government.

Stephen Warikozi, the Chief Executive Officer of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, told journalists yesterday that the number of casualties would be confirmed once the recovery operation was completed. 

“We are still recovering the bodies (and) I can’t give you the exact number now,” said Mr. Warikozi. “We have secured the site now and we are making the recovery and then we will come to identification and also give you the information and after that (there will be an) investigation.”

To assist in the operation, UNMISS provided a diving team to search the River Nile adjacent to the crash site, an engineering team to support efforts to cut open or remove debris, as well as staff from the Mission’s fire department with rescue and safety expertise.

According to Radio Miraya, the Russian-made cargo plane registered to the Allied Air Service Limited was bound for Paloju in Upper Nile when it crashed about 800 metres from the airport runway, shortly after take-off at about 9 o’clock.

The Upper Nile State government had written to the Central Equatoria State government requesting to land to bury the victims of the crash, Radio Miraya also reported today.

In an interview with the radio, Upper Nile State Information Minister Daniel Yor Akech said families of the victims were being notified and the bodies would be laid to rest in Juba, once a location was identified.

“We have written to the government of Central Equatoria State to give us a place, because sometimes burial places later are given to companies,” he said. “We don’t want that to happen. We want a place officially given to us by the state and this will happen today.”

Mr. Akech added that the Upper Nile State government had decided that the victims would be buried in one mass grave as they hailed from the same state.

He also cautioned people from the state to desist from travelling on cargo planes.

“The information that I want to pass to our people in Juba and those coming from camps in Uganda (is that) if someone wants to travel, (he or she) should seek advice from county or state authorities,” he said. “The governor says nobody should go to the airport without informing their commissioner, so that the commissioner can know their number. What we found out yesterday was very sad; there were no names … (or) list of the people.”