Plane explodes at Sudan airport
2008-06-10 21:34
Khartoum - A plane exploded after landing at Khartoum's international airport late on Tuesday amid thunderstorms.
About 200 passengers were thought to be aboard but it was unclear how many were killed.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the plane veered off a runway as it landed, and then burst into flames. Ambulances and fire trucks were seen rushing to the scene after the accident.
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 was flying from Amman, Jordan, after first taking off from Damascus, Syria, said Najib.
Al-Jazeera television station said it was a Sudanese Airways passenger jet, and Najib confirmed the plane was from a Sudanese airline.
- AP