Forty-six people, including senior military officers, lost their lives when a Sudanese military transport plane crashed into a residential area on the outskirts of Khartoum, the regional government announced on Wednesday.
According to *Kenya Times*, Major General Bahr Ahmed, a senior Sudanese commander, was among those killed in the crash.
The Antonov aircraft went down on Tuesday night near Wadi Seidna air base, one of the army’s key military installations in Omdurman, northwest of the capital.
The Sudanese army, which has been engaged in conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, stated that the plane crashed during takeoff, resulting in multiple casualties among both military personnel and civilians.
Following an updated assessment, the Khartoum regional government’s media office confirmed that 46 people had died, while 10 others sustained injuries.
Initially, the army-aligned health ministry had reported at least 19 fatalities.
Eyewitnesses recounted hearing a loud explosion and seeing several homes damaged in the affected area. The crash also led to power outages in surrounding neighborhoods.
Emergency teams swiftly transported injured civilians, including children, to a nearby hospital.
A military source, speaking anonymously to AFP, attributed the crash to a technical malfunction.
The incident occurred just a day after the RSF claimed responsibility for downing a Russian-made Ilyushin aircraft over Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, stating that the plane was destroyed with its crew onboard.
This latest development comes amid intensified military operations by the Sudanese army, which has made significant gains in central Sudan and Khartoum in its ongoing offensive against the RSF.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the RSF signed a charter with allied political and armed groups in Nairobi, Kenya, setting the stage for the formation of a parallel government in territories under their control.
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