Plane crash in South Sudan kills all 15 on board

The authorities are investigating but early reports suggest bad weather and poor visibility may be to blame. South Sudan plane crash kills all 15 on board Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The CityLink plane was on its way from Yei to Juba - a distance of about 130km (80 miles) - when it came down on Monday morning A blurry picture of a burnt-out rear of a crashed aeroplane. Plane crash in South Sudan kills all 15 on board A small passenger plane has crashed in South Sudan killing all on board, the country's civil aviation authority (SSCAA) said. Officials have sent a team to the crash site for investigations but initial reports suggested the aircraft may have come down "due to adverse weather conditions, particularly low visibility", the SSCAA added in a statement. The plane crashed about 20km (12 miles) south-west of the capital, Juba, on Monday morning. It took off from Yei at 09:15 local time ( 07:15 GMT) and air traffic control lost contact about 30 minutes into the flight to the capital. Among the 15 on board – the pilot and 14 passengers – were 13 South Sudanese and two Kenyans, the manifest says. The plane - a Cessna 208 Caravan - was operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd. South Sudan - the world's youngest country - has a poorly developed transport network and the aviation industry does not have a good safety record. More than 55 planes crashed in the country, resulting in dozens of fatalities, in the decade following independence in 2011. Accidents are sometimes due to old aircraft and weak regulatory compliance. Overloading, poor weather and pilot errors are also blamed. In January 2025, 20 oil workers died after their aircraft, which was headed for Juba, came down three minutes after take-off near the oil fields of Unity state in the north. The worst plane crash occurred in November 2015, when an Antonov plane crashed near Juba airport, killing 41 people. A crowd of Catholic women and children kneeling on the ground outdoors during a Good Friday procession in Juba. the woman standing in the front centre, has her hands up in the air. Other people have lowered heads and gazes, while some appear to be looking ahead Churches and politicians in South Sudan call for 'lasting peace' in Easter messages A group of people sit together at a camp for internally displaced people. 'Fire came from the sky and burned them' - life on the brink of civil war in South Sudan A close-up of Arop Akol in a red plastic feathered outfit at the Ashish show during London Fashion Week in February 2025. Her hairs is decorated with plastic alphabet letters. 'They have perfect dark skin': The African nation home to fashion's favourite models A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica There are fears South Sudan may be plunged back into a civil war less than a decade after it ended. Both government and opposition groups have been accused of being responsible for the deadly attack. The disruption in oil supplies has caused shortages and concerns in several African countries. Ethnic Tuareg fighters say they are in control of Kidal following a weekend of nationwide attacks, alongside Islamist groups. The attack saw 23 children and the facility's proprietress kidnapped by gunmen on Sunday. The dispute was initially between two families before escalating into a cycle of reprisal attacks. The UK's maritime monitor reports at least four suspected piracy incidents in the past week off the coast of Somalia. A wave of coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and separatists has spread through the country.