by aviationwiz on Tue Jul 08, 2003 4:02 am
KHARTOUM, Sudan - A Sudanese airliner crashed shortly after taking off from an airport on the Red Sea coast early Tuesday, killing 105 passengers and 11 crew. Only a child survived, officials said.
The Sudan Airways Boeing 737 was starting an internal flight from Port Sudan to the capital Khartoum, 410 miles to the southwest, when its captain reported trouble, airline director Ismail Zumrawy told the official Sudan News Agency.
The plane crashed into an empty area about 3 1/2 miles from the airport.
Rescuers found a surviving child, whose age was not disclosed. The child was in good condition in a hospital, said Salah Ali Ahmed, a spokesman for the Red Sea provincial government.
Ahmed said the bodies of the dead had been burned, he said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but Ahmed ruled out bad weather.
Sudanese State Minister for Civil Aviation Mohammed Hassan el-Bahi said a team of experts would be sent to the scene to investigate the cause.
It is not yet known if there were foreigners on board.
