Sudanese military plane crash death toll rises to 46

The death toll from a Sudanese military plane crash in Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum, rose to 46, local media has reported.

The state news agency SUNA said 10 people were also injured in the crash that occurred in a residential area in northern Omdurman.

No information was yet available about the circumstances of the crash.

The Sudanese army said that a military aircraft crashed during takeoff in the Wadi Seidna military airport in northern Omdurman, causing casualties among military personnel and civilians.

Military sources said that the plane crash was most likely due to technical reasons.

Tragedy amid conflict

Among those killed was Major General Bahr Ahmed, a senior commander in Khartoum who previously served as the commander of the army across the entire capital, military sources said.

The incident occurred as the army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the United Nations and local authorities.

Research from universities in the United States, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.