Plane bursts into flames after landing in Khartoum, scores killed

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A Sudanese jetliner veered off a runway late Tuesday after landing amid thunderstorms in Khartoum and exploded into flames, killing scores of passengers while survivors scrambled to escape the burning inferno. Sudanese state television initially reported that as many as about 100 people were killed but deputy parliament speaker, Mohammed al-Hassan al-Ameen later said the death toll for the moment was "about 30 people." He could not account for the remaining passengers. Over 200 were aboard the plane when it landed in bad weather and a higher casualty toll was feared. An Associated Press reporter at the scene said the plane appeared to have left the runway as it landed at Khartoum International Airport. The reporter heard several loud explosions after flames engulfed the aircraft.