Over 41 People Dead: 44 year-old Russian-built plane caused a national tragedy in South Sudan
By Philip Thon Aleu, Juba, South Sudan
The Russian made Antonov B-12 cargo plane, registration number EY-406, was 44 years old when it crashed within a minute after take-off from Juba International Airport on Wednesday. This is a national tragedy. There are many lessons to learn from this disaster.
First of all, it was a cargo plane and only a maximum of twenty passengers were expected to be onboard. The five Armenians and one Russian crew members reportedly told air traffic control tower that there were 12 passengers – summing the number of people onboard to eighteen (18), according to Stephen Warikozi, the chief executive officer for the South Sudan’s civil aviation authority.
Why did pilots risk their lives and lie to the air traffic officials? Why did they air traffic officials wait to hear from the pilots without ensuring that cargo planes carry commodities; not human beings – particular in excess? Those questions, according to Warikozi, will be answered by an investigation commission.
Second the cargo plane, according to the manufacturers’ website, first flew in 1971. That means, the plane was 44 years in air service when it crashed today – older than most of the victims whom I saw their young bodies (R.I.P). What is the average life span for a cargo plane?
Thirdly, there is a question of regular service on commercial planes in South Sudan. Do the planes take test flight after being grounded for garage service?
Those difficult institutional shortcomings aside, there was a delay in rescue respond. Residents of Hai Gabat, west of the Nile River tributary where the plane crashed, said they were stopped by security agents from crossing to help save some lives. One resident said he saw people beckoning the onlookers from the plane’s wreckages – probably seeking assistance, but the volunteers were stopped from crossing and the victims were later found dead.
Two men had to swim across the Nile river tributary and tried to pull out one crew member but could not manage with their bare hands.
The first ‘rescue team’ arrived thirty minutes later. This team, according to Warikozi include transport ministers and some director generals from the airport. This team of course never crossed the river to help bring out some survivors. The only survivors, a soldier and a child (plus another one found two hours later) were pulled out after 40 minutes.
South Sudan Red Cross arrived two hours after the crash. A huge number of volunteers, soldiers, police and journalists converged on the site of the crash and recovered several bodies.
It should be noted the crash site is less than a kilometer from the airport and just a stone throw from Juba town center.
Handling the bodies was completely awful. Most of the bodies were naked. Since most of the ‘rescuers’ are untrained, their target was to gather the bodies in place ASAP without showing a certain degree of respect. The arrival of Red Cross later addressed this challenge.
BUYING DEATH TICKETS
Most of the victims were women, children and soldiers.
One journalist told me he lent his friend money for two tickets – one for a wife and another for his child. His friend paid for a third ticket – his younger child. Those were death certificates, he said, with tears in his eyes. He said he resorted to drinking six pockets of strong alcoholic gin to kill the stress but that never helped.
MY SURVIVAL
I was preparing to attend a press conference at the ministry of information at 9 o’clock when an eyewitness phoned me to say that a plane is landed violent in Hai Gabat. The witness told me to come and inform other reporters to cover the story. Because I had a commitment, I asked my colleague to pursue that plane story. But the edit instructed me to take that story as a priority.
I took a motorcycle, having been told that there will be parking space and rode to Hai Gabat. In a rush to cover the fast developing story, I survived drowning in the river. The boat was pulled quicker and I fell into the deep waters. But with some instinct respond – thanks God, I glued my fingers to the boat and was rescued before my recording devices and a cellphone drew in a lot of water. Those figures avoided what would have become a different.
I was soaked from the abdomen to the feet. On arrival to the crash site, I checked my recorders and cellphone but were surprisingly functioning perfectly. I got some back pains but that never deterred me from telling the story of the tragedy that has befallen our country. I survived drawing because God works in most mysterious situation.
My prayer now is that this tragedy will be a lesson to avoid a similar but avoidable deaths in the future. A thorough investigation should be carried out and any individual who failed to do his/her job be held to account. The government should ensure that the families are compensated and all the planes in the country are subjected to thorough scrutiny. As young nation, we need young planes.
As a nation, we must acknowledge that every single live is precious and counts. A VIP and a peasant are equal citizens of this country.
© Philip Thon Aleu 2015
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