Plane crash kills dozens in Sudan

Updated 16.13 Wed Jun 11 2008
Keywords: khartoum, sudan airways, sudan, world

Dozens have been killed and scores more are missing after a plane crash in Sudan.

An Airbus A310 burst into flames when it veered off the runway after landing at Khartoum airport.

The aircraft apparently landed safely but slid off the runway and caught fire

Around 100 people escaped via the emergency chutes but 28 are confirmed dead and 53 have not been accounted for.

The plane had arrived from Damascus in Syria with 203 passengers on board.

The head of Sudanese police said bad weather "caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire".

However, the director of the airport denied the weather had played a part, claiming the flight "landed safely" and the pilot received directions for his landing runway from the control tower.

He said: "At this moment, one of the engines exploded and the plane caught fire."

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