Mwalimu-G
Elder Lister
Two Kenyans Among 14 Dead in Juba Plane Crash
- by Maxwell Amunga on Monday, 27 April 2026 - 5:45 pm
An image of a City Link aircraft. (Insert) - Scenes from the crash site in Juba after a plane accident on Monday, April 27, 2026.
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Koboko Town
Two Kenyan nationals are among 14 people who died after a passenger aircraft crashed near Juba.
The crash involved a Cessna 208 Caravan operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd, which went down about 20 kilometres southwest of Juba, according to a statement released by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority on Monday.
"The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) confirms that an aircraft crash occurred approximately 20km southwest of Juba today. The aircraft involved was a Cessna 208 Caravan, registration 5Y-NOK, operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd," stated the SSCAA in part.
It added, "The aircraft departed Yei enroute to Juba International Airport at 09:15 AM and lost communication at 09:43 AM. There were 13 passengers and 1 pilot (Captain) on board (POB), two Kenyan nationals and 12 South Sudanese nationals."
A collage of the Sudan plane crash on April 27 where two Kenyans were among the fatalities.
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SSCAA further confirmed that the group included 13 passengers and one pilot, whose identities have not been officially released.
In the moments leading to the crash, the plane lost communication with air traffic control at 9:43 AM, just 28 minutes after takeoff, during what was supposed to be a routine domestic flight. Moments later, the authority received reports that a light aircraft had gone down.
Preliminary reports indicate that the aircraft may have crashed due to adverse weather conditions, particularly low visibility.
A response team has since been dispatched to the site to gather information and support emergency and recovery efforts.
Incidentally, the crash comes at a time when the Ministry of Roads and Transport has gazetted a committee to investigate recent aircraft accidents involving Kenyan operators, particularly those occurring in South Sudan and Somalia.
As per the notice, the team's core mandate is to review all preliminary accident reports for the last five years, specifically covering accidents involving Kenyan-registered or operated aircraft submitted by South Sudan and Somalia.