The number of people killed in a Sudanese military plane crash in Omdurman, on the outskirts of the capital Khartoum, has risen to at least 46, officials have said.
The Antonov aircraft came down late on Tuesday during takeoff from Wadi Seidna military airport in northern Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum. At least 10 others were injured, according to the Khartoum Media Office.
The initial death toll of 19 was reported by the health ministry, which said the plane crashed over a civilian house in Omdurman’s Karrari district. Among the dead was Major-General Bahr Ahmed, a senior commander in Khartoum, according to reports.
The Sudanese military confirmed the crash in a statement, saying both military personnel and civilians had been killed. Firefighting teams were able to contain the blaze at the crash site, it added.
The statement did not specify the cause of the crash, but military sources told Reuters news agency that technical issues were likely to blame.
Local residents reported hearing a loud explosion, with the crash damaging several homes and causing power outages in nearby neighbourhoods.
The incident comes as Sudan remains engulfed in a brutal conflict between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023. The war, which has killed tens of thousands, began after a rift between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo over the future structure of the government.
The army is currently making significant advances in central Sudan and Khartoum as part of a multi-front offensive against the RSF.