18 killed in military plane crash in Sudan

Seven crew members, three judges and eight citizens including four children were killed in the incident of a military plane crash in Sudan.

Khartoum: A Sudanese military plane crashed shortly after taking off from El Geneina airport in West Darfur State, killing 18, the army said.

The Antonov 12 plane "crashed five minutes after taking off from El Geneina airport" on Thursday evening, said Amer Mohamed al-Hassan, spokesman of Sudanese army, in a statement.

"Seven crew members, three judges, and eight citizens including four children were killed in the incident," noted the statement, according to Xinhua news agency.

Investigation is underway to determine the causes of the incident.

The plane earlier transported medical materials for the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in El Geneina, capital city of West Darfur state.

El Geneina has witnessed tribal clashes over the few past days that left many people killed or injured.