OREANDA-NEWS. On January 2, the Antonov transport plane crashed after taking off from a military air base in West Darfur, Sudan.

This was reported by Reuters agency with reference to a senior representative of the country’s air force and local residents. It is noted that the air base is located in el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where clashes between ethnic groups have occurred in recent days.

Al Arabiya TV channel reports that 15 people became victims of the crash, including three representatives of local judiciary.

It is also known that the aircraft fell 5 km from the airdrome. According to some messages, in addition to the crew, there were local officials on board. Sudanese media report that an employee of the World Food Programme was among passengers.