A Sudanese army plane crashed on Tuesday in a residential area near the Wadi Seidna military airport in northern Omdurman, killing at least 46 people, including both military personnel and civilians. The Antonov aircraft crashed during takeoff from the Wadi Seidna airport, located in greater Khartoum.
The crash occurred late on Tuesday, and the initial reports from the Sudanese health ministry put the death toll at 20. However, this number was later updated to 46. In addition to the fatalities, 10 people were injured. The plane reportedly crashed into a civilian house in the Karrari district of Omdurman, causing significant damage to surrounding homes. Major-General Bahr Ahmed, a senior commander in Khartoum, was confirmed among the dead.
The Sudanese military, which has been engaged in a conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, confirmed the fatalities and reported that firefighting teams were able to contain the blaze at the crash site. Witnesses in the area described hearing a loud explosion, and there were power outages in the surrounding neighborhoods as a result of the crash.
As of now, the cause of the crash has not been determined, and investigations are ongoing. The incident adds to the turmoil in Sudan, which has been embroiled in conflict for several months.
