Sudan: military plane crashes near Khartoum killing 13 people

A Sudanese military plane has crashed outside the capital, Khartoum, killing some 13 people, officials say.

The Russian-made Antonov was travelling from Khartoum to Fasher in the conflict-riven region of Darfur.

The plane made an emergency landing after trying to turn back to the air base in Khartoum because of mechanical problems, a military spokesman said.

Some nine people were rescued from the crash site west of the capital, he told state TV.

“Five minutes into the flight… the pilot radioed that one engine had stopped working,” said army spokesman Col al-Sawarmi Khalid.

“Shortly afterwards, he reported that a second engine on the same side (wing) had broken down, which made the plane unbalanced. He said he would make an emergency landing.”

There have been a number of deadly plane crashes in Sudan in recent years.

In August, a civilian plane crashed in a southern state, killing more than 30 people including a government minister.

The authorities say it is hard to get spare parts because of US sanctions against Khartoum.

Government forces are still involved in clashes with rebels in Darfur, where a civil war broke out in 2003, though violence in the western region has fallen from its peak.