(MENAFN) An aircraft carrying food supplies for the humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse crashed in Unity State, South Sudan, on Tuesday, Aviation Safety Network (ASN) reported. The plane went down approximately 20 km (12 miles) from the Leer Airstrip in Leer County, near the Sudanese border, around 8 a.m. local time (06:00 GMT).

The aircraft, operated by Nari Air, had departed from Juba carrying about two tons of aid for communities displaced by severe flooding, according to Reuters. Samaritan’s Purse deputy director in South Sudan, Bikram Rai, confirmed that all three crew members on board were killed. The supplies were intended for people in urgent need. Response teams have reached the crash site.

Nari Air, which provides cargo and passenger charters in South Sudan, has not yet released details on the type of aircraft or the cause of the crash.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has struggled with instability since a civil war broke out in 2013 over a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar. The country is also prone to severe flooding, a situation worsened by climate change. UNICEF estimates that between 750,000 and over one million people are affected by floods in South Sudan annually, many of whom are forced to flee their homes.

MENAFN27112025000045017281ID1110405841