Sharjah, Oct 21 (The National): Six people have died after a cargo plane crashed soon after take-off from Sharjah Airport.
The Boeing 707 crashed about two kilometres from the airport soon after taking off from Sharjah to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.
The plane was owned by Sudan Airways but operated by a separate Sudanese company, Azza Transport, which operates out of Khartoum.
Six crew members, all of whom were Sudanese, died when the plane caught fire soon after crashing, Brig Humaid al Hudaidi, the director general of Sharjah Police confirmed.
Among those believed to have died is the pilot of the plane, Capt Mohammed Ali, 55, who lived in Sharjah. His brother Mohammed Uthman, who also works at the airport, said: "I am sure my brother is dead. I am very sad."
Saif al Suwaidi, the director of the General Civil Aviation Authority, said he had sent an investigation team to the site but it was too soon to speculate about the causes of the accident.
A spokesman for Sharjah Airport said the plane was "completely destroyed" in the collision.
A cargo operator in the Sharjah free zone said he saw the aftermath of the crash from about a kilometre away. The crash happened about 3.50pm, he said.
"After take-off there was a huge sound, a big explosion," said the operator, who asked not to be named. "I saw the immediate results.
"Burning, fire, smoke, pieces of aircraft everywhere. All the men, they're gone. I knew some of them."
He said the plane, a Boeing 707, crashed about 300 metres from Emirates Road. None of the debris hit the road, however, he said.
He said the plane was being operated by Azza Transport, a Sudanese "cargo and transport carrier".
The aircraft was a Boeing 707-320C, according to a Sudan Airways official. Five of the six crew members worked for Azza Transport, the official said. The loadmaster, who handled the cargo on the plane, worked for Sudan Airways.
The plane carried six hours' worth of fuel, 15 to 20 tonnes, which contributed to the massive fire after the crash, he said.
Witnesses posting on Twitter and online said a section of the plane may have fallen off soon after it took off.
In 2005 a Sudanese Ilyushin plane owned by Sudan West en-route from Sharjah to Khartoum crashed 25km from Khartoum. The entire crew of six Russians and one Sudanese were killed.
The last fatal crash in Sharjah was in 2004, when more than 40 people died as a Kish Airways flight hit the ground about three kilometres short of the runway.