A small commercial plane has crashed while taking off from an airstrip in Mundri area of Western Equatoria but officials say all passengers and crew have safely disembarked.

The plane is reportedly owned by local operator Care Aviation Company.

Benjamin Bateka, the secretary-general of the now-defunct Amadi State, told Radio Tamazuj on Saturday evening that about 12 people were on board when the crash occurred Saturday morning at Mundri’s airstrip.

“No casualties because the plane was not far from the ground when it crashed while taking off,” Benjamin Bateka said. “The cause of the crash is not yet known.”

Mr. Benjamin disclosed that the aircraft was headed for the capital Juba. He said aviation authorities are expected to visit Mundri to assess the situation.

“I think the investigation will be from the side of Juba. I think they will send a team tomorrow [Sunday] or after tomorrow [Monday] to investigate what happened. The investigation needs technical people,” he said.

“The airstrip is okay, even the planes that carry about 24 or 25 people used to land at the airstrip here. So the airstrip is okay,” he added.

Several planes have crashed in recent years in South Sudan.

In August 2020, eight people lost their lives, while a single passenger survived with injuries when a cargo plane crashed into a farm in the Kemeru area minutes after it took off from the Juba International Airport.

In 2015, 36 people were killed when a Soviet-era Antonov plane crashed just after takeoff from Juba.

In 2017, 37 people had a miraculous escape after their plane hit a fire truck on a runway in Wau before bursting into flames.

Nineteen people were killed in 2018 when a small aircraft carrying passengers from Juba to Yirol crashed.