A small passenger aircraft has crashed in South Sudan, killing all 15 people on board, according to the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority.
The aircraft, a Cessna 208 Caravan operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd, went down about 20 kilometres southwest of Juba on Monday morning.
Officials say the plane took off from Yei at 09:15 local time, but air traffic control lost contact roughly 30 minutes into the flight.
Initial reports suggest the crash may have been caused by adverse weather conditions, particularly low visibility, though investigations are ongoing. Authorities have dispatched a team to the crash site to determine the exact cause.
The aircraft was carrying 15 people—one pilot and 14 passengers. The passenger manifest indicates that 13 were South Sudanese and two were Kenyan nationals.
The tragedy highlights ongoing concerns about aviation safety in South Sudan, which has recorded more than 55 plane crashes since gaining independence in 2011. Experts often cite aging aircraft, weak regulatory oversight, poor weather conditions, overloading, and pilot error as contributing factors.
In a similar incident in January 2025, at least 20 oil workers died when a plane crashed shortly after take-off near oil fields in Unity State. The country’s deadliest aviation disaster occurred in November 2015, when an Antonov aircraft crashed near Juba airport, killing 41 people.
Authorities say further updates will be provided as investigations progress
