At least 20 people have been killed in a plane crash in the north of South Sudan, Unity state’s minister for information said.

The aircraft came down near the oil fields in Unity state at about 10:30am (08:30 GMT) shortly after taking off for the capital, Juba, on Wednesday.

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“The plane crashed 500 metres from the airport… 21 people were on board. As for now, there’s only one survivor,” Gatwech Bipal Both told AFP news agency.

The survivor, a South Sudanese engineer working at the oil field, was taken to Bentiu State hospital, the minister said.

He added that the aircraft, chartered by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and operated by Light Air Services aviation company, was on a routine mission to the area.

Earlier, the United Nations’s Radio Miraya reported that the pilot and co-pilot were among those killed.

More to follow