Khartoum, January 29, 2025: A small aircraft carrying oil workers crashed in Unity State, South Sudan, on Wednesday, killing 20 people, including two Chinese nationals and one Indian, according to state officials.
The aircraft went down at the Unity oilfield airport on Wednesday morning while en route to the capital, Juba, Gatwech Bipal, Unity State’s Information Minister, confirmed.
The plane was carrying employees of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC), a consortium that includes the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation.
Initially, media reports suggested 18 fatalities, but Bipal later confirmed that two of the injured had succumbed to their wounds, leaving only one survivor.
Authorities have not yet provided details on what led to the crash, and investigations are expected to follow.
