Khaberni - Three crew members of a cargo plane were killed on Tuesday morning when a plane transporting food aid to flood victims in the oil-rich Unity state in northern South Sudan crashed.
The deputy director of "Samaritan's Purse" in South Sudan, Bikram Rai, said that the plane was carrying about two tons of food supplies and had taken off from the capital Juba towards the Lier area before it crashed about 20 kilometers from the airstrip.
He added, "With deep sorrow, we confirm that all three crew members have perished."
The plane belonged to the local "Nari Air" company that provides freight and private flight services within the country, and no official comment has been issued by the company so far. Also, the details about the type of the plane or the causes of the crash are still unknown.
Humanitarian and Security Context
The incident comes at a time when South Sudan is experiencing recurrent humanitarian crises due to floods and conflicts, where thousands of displaced people rely on international aid to access food and medicine.
The Unity state is one of the most sensitive areas, combining oil riches and its border location with Sudan, which makes it susceptible to security and political tensions.
Humanitarian organization reports indicate that the difficulty of access to affected areas due to poor infrastructure makes air transport a primary option for delivering aid, which doubles the risks in a country suffering from weak air safety standards monitoring.
