A Ukrainian An-12 cargo plane burst into flames on Friday as it
tried to take off in south Egypt killing five crew members, the
Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority head was quoted as saying by the MENA
news agency.
Emad Salam said the Ukrainian cargo plane, en route from Uganda, landed
at Luxor airport in southern Egypt to refuel. As the plane was
preparing for take off it suddenly burst into flames on the runway.
However, according to other sources, the plane took off to a height of
two or three meters (6.5-10 feet) before bursting into flames.
The KyivPost reported that the plane belonged to the South African-based Aerolift Company.
An accident commission is being set up to investigate the cause of the
fire and both the plane's black boxes have already been recovered,
Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafiq said.
"Black boxes from the crashed plane have already been recovered, they
will be sent to the lab of Egypt's aviation ministry," the minister was
quoted as saying by the MENA news agency, adding that Luxor airport was
not to blame for the tragedy.
A source in the airport administration said that the An-12 had been
forced to land at Luxor due to a fuel leak. The crew was aware of the
leak, the source said, but made the decision to take off despite the
possible risk.
According to Russian diplomatic sources, one of the five crew members
was a Russian national, the others were from Ukraine and Belarus. The
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the dead crew comprised
one Russian, two Ukrainians and two Belarusians.
All the bodies have been recovered and taken to hospitals in Luxor.
Incoming and outgoing flights at Luxor International Airport have not been disrupted.
