Posted on 06/10/2008 12:12:36 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
KHARTOUM, Sudan - A plane carrying about 200 passengers apparently veered off a runway late Tuesday and burst into flames. It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the plane arriving from Amman, Jordan apparently veered off the runway as it landed in Khartoum and then burst into flames. It was not immediately clear what airline was involved.
Ambulances and fire trucks were seen rushing to the scene.
Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In July 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board.
This video frame grab image taken from Sudan TV via AP Television News shows a plane that burst into flames after apparently veering off a runway at an airport in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday June 10, 2008. About 200 passengers are thought to have been aboard, but it is unclear how many might be casualties. (AP Photo/Sudan TV via APTN)
Looks like there has to be casualties.
at least 100, it looks like or more..
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Plane bursts into flames in Sudan; 100 feared dead
MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/sudan_plane_crash;_ylt=AvLFf0WvNgkoxNlnO6TIBuas0NUE
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudanese TV says at least 100 people were killed in plane crash at Khartoum airport. A plane carrying about 200 passengers veered off a runway late Tuesday amid thunderstorms and burst into flames.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the plane arriving from Amman, Jordan apparently left the runway as it landed in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather “caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire.”
“We believe that most of the passengers were able to make it out and escape with their lives,” said Najib, without disclosing further details on how they escaped.
But he stressed that officials could not say for sure how many were killed.
The plane took off from Damascus, Syria, Najib said. Al-Jazeera television station said it was a Sudanese Airways passenger jet, and Najib confirmed the plane was from a Sudanese airline.
Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In May, a plane crash in a remote area of southern Sudan killed 24 people, including key members of the southern Sudanese government.
In July 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board.
One cable station saying the plane departed Damascus, Syria the next station up the dial is saying Amman, Jordan.
Would it be too much to ask that they get the facts before they broadcast.
how silly of me
update
TV: 100 dead in Sudan after plane catches fire
MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/sudan_plane_crash;_ylt=AvLFf0WvNgkoxNlnO6TIBuas0NUE
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudanese television reports about 100 people are dead after a jetliner crashed and burst into flames.
The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire.
The plane was arriving from Amman, Jordan in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum when it veered off the runway.
Al-Jazeera television station said it was a Sudan Airways passenger jet, and Najib confirmed the plane was from a Sudanese airline.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A plane carrying about 200 passengers veered off a runway late Tuesday amid thunderstorms and burst into flames. The number of casualties was not immediately known.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the plane arriving from Amman, Jordan apparently left the runway as it landed in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather “caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire.”
“We believe that most of the passengers were able to make it out and escape with their lives,” said Najib, without disclosing further details on how they escaped.
But he stressed that officials could not say for sure how many were killed.
The plane took off from Damascus, Syria, Najib said. Al-Jazeera television station said it was a Sudanese Airways passenger jet, and Najib confirmed the plane was from a Sudanese airline.
Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In May, a plane crash in a remote area of southern Sudan killed 24 people, including key members of the southern Sudanese government.
In July 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board.
It is being said there are at least 100 dead.
Prayers for their souls, and prayers for the survivors.
<< It is being said there are at least 100 dead.
Prayers for their souls, and prayers for the survivors. >>
Amen to that!
update — 117 dead per top of the hour news.
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Plane bursts into flames in Sudan; 100 feared dead
MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/sudan_plane_crash
KHARTOUM, Sudan - A Sudan Airways jetliner burst into flames late Tuesday after it landed, killing about 100 people, Sudanese television reported. About 200 passengers were thought to be aboard the plane and a higher casualty toll was feared.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the plane arriving from Amman, Jordan left the runway as it landed in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather “caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire.”
“We believe that most of the passengers were able to make it out and escape with their lives,” said Najib, without disclosing further details on how they escaped.
But he stressed that officials could not say for sure how many were killed.
A death toll of 100 would make it the deadliest crash since July 2007, when a Tam Linhas Aereas SA jetliner Airbus 320 skidded off runway while landing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing all 187 people on board and 12 on the ground.
However, Youssef Ibrahim, director of the Khartoum airport, denied that bad weather caused the crash, saying a technical reason was to blame.
He said the plane had “landed safely” in Khartoum and that the pilot talked to control tower and got directions for his landing runway.
“At this moment, one of the (plane’s) engines exploded and the plane caught fire,” Ibrahim said. He said there were survivors, but gave no figures.
Spokesmen for the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington could not immediately provide any details of the incident on Tuesday afternoon, but said they were continuing to monitor the situation.
A flight list had a Sudan Airways 109 flight scheduled to arrive in Khartoum at the time of the accident. Sudan Airways’ Web site said the flight is an Airbus A310.
Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In May, a plane crash in a remote area of southern Sudan killed 24 people, including key members of the southern Sudanese government.
In July 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board.
After that crash, Sudanese officials blamed sanctions for restricting vital aircraft parts. The U.S. State Department said there was no ban on equipment needed for aviation safety.
In 1997, then President Clinton issued an executive order barring the export of goods and technology to Sudan because of the country’s “support for international terrorism, ongoing efforts to destabilize neighboring governments, and the prevalence of human rights violations.”
Must have been one of those really nasty Center Fuel Tank Explosions, again...
Sudan official: At least 30 dead in jet fire
MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Investigators examined the scorched hull of a jetliner Wednesday to determine what caused the plane to veer off a runway and burst into flames, killing at least 30 people, officials said.
The Sudan Airways jet skidded off the runaway and rammed into the lights used by pilots to navigate when landing in bad weather, sparking a fire on the right side of the aircraft, police spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed Abdel Majid Al-Tayeb said.
At least 30 people died in the accident, raising the toll by one, Sudan Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdel Hafez Abdel Rahim Mahmoud told The Associated Press. About 170 managed to escape and about 14 others remain unaccounted for, he said.
Many fleeing passengers did not bother to pass through customs, making the toll initially difficult to ascertain, officials said. It was unclear whether the latest death was from a survivor or a missing passenger.
The jet appeared to have gone off the runway after landing at Khartoum International Airport, and several loud explosions resounded as fire raced through the aircraft, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said.
The roaring blaze dwarfed the Airbus A310’s shattered fuselage as firefighters sprayed water, Sudanese TV footage showed. Ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the scene, and media were kept away.
One survivor said the landing was “rough,” and there was a sharp impact several minutes later.
“The right wing was on fire,” said the passenger, who did not give his name. He said smoke got into the cockpit and some people started opening the emergency exits. Soon, fire engulfed the plane, he said.
“As we landed, the engine burst into flame — I was sitting right next to it,” passenger Kamal Eddin Mohammed told the pan-Arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera. “It was horror inside the plane.”
Sudan’s aviation authority asked its counterpart in Amman, Jordan, for the passenger manifest to determine who was actually on board, as the original was destroyed in the crash, the official SUNA news agency reported.
The flight originated in Damascus, Syria, then stopped in Amman.
Al-Tayeb told SUNA on Wednesday morning that the fire had been extinguished and civil defense officials were examining the wreckage to figure out what caused the crash, which occurred late Tuesday.
Reports differed on the role the weather may have played in the crash.
A sandstorm had hit the area with 20 mph winds between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and there was a thunderstorm and similar winds at the time of the 9 p.m. crash, said Elaine Yang, a meteorologist with the San Francisco-based Weather Underground, a private weather service.
The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather “caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire.”
Youssef Ibrahim, the airport director, blamed the accident on technical problems, but didn’t elaborate. He told Sudanese TV that the plane “landed safely” and the pilot was talking to the control tower and getting further instructions when the accident occurred.
“One of the (plane’s) engines exploded and the plane caught fire,” Ibrahim said.
Due to inclement weather, the aircraft stopped at Port Sudan Airport along the Red Sea, picking up 35 passengers and refueling before heading to Khartoum. Khartoum’s airport reopened on Wednesday.
Thousands of people gathered in a large cemetery in the capital for a burial ceremony lead by senior government officials. Dozens of bodies, including at least two children, wrapped in white burial shrouds were lying on the ground as people prepared to pray.
Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In May, a plane crash in a remote area of southern Sudan killed 24 people, including key members of the southern Sudanese government. In July 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board.
The Airbus A310 is a twin-engine, widebody plane used by a number of carriers around the world. Typically configured with about 220 seats, it is a shorter version of the popular A300.
Airbus said in a statement that it was sending a team of specialists to Khartoum to help in the investigation. It said the plane involved in the accident was 18 years old and had been operated by Sudan Airways since September.
Investigators from France were also taking part in the inquiry because the plane was made by France-based Airbus.
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