Sudan plane crash kills 116 people

A Sudanese airliner crashed early today shortly after taking off from Port Sudan airport, killing 105 passengers and 11 crew members. Only a child survived, the Sudan News Agency reported.

The Boeing 737 was on an internal flight to the capital, Khartoum, when its captain reported trouble, “but fate was quicker”, the director of Sudan Airways, Ahmed Ismail Zuwary, told the news agency.

The plane crashed in an empty area near the Port Sudan airport on the Red Sea, it said.

Sudanese officials said investigators would be sent to the scene of the crash.

Government spokesman Salah Ali Ahmed told Sudanese national television that the child was in a hospital and in good condition.

He said the plane crashed some three miles from Port Sudan airport.

It is not yet known if there were any foreigners on board.