Armenia MFA checks whether crew of the crashed plane was Armenian

Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs checks the information connected with the Russian crew of the cargo plane which crashed in
South Sudan. MFA informs about it on its Facebook page.

Earlier, General Department of Civil Aviation of Republic of Armenia denied that the plane was registered in Armenia.

“The Russian Ан­12 plane which crashed in South Sudan was not registered in Armenia and is not owned by any Armenian company,
“Armenpress” reports that Press Secretary of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia Ruben Grdzelyan said in response to information spread by Interfax, adding that the information about the plane crew was being checked.

A number of Russian media spread information that cargo plane which crashed in South Sudan was registered in Armenia and was owned by an Armenian organization.

Reuters reports earlier that a Russian­built cargo plane with passengers on board crashed on Wednesday after taking off from the airport in South Sudan's capital, killing at least 41 people on the flight and on the ground.

A crew member and a child on board survived, presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Reuters.

Shortly after taking off from Juba airport the plane came down on the banks of the White Nile River, leaving a tail fin and lumps of fuselage strewn in vegetation close to the water.

The plane may have had about 20 people on board, including crew and "probably" 10 to 15 passengers, Ateny said, but added: "We need to confirm how many people were on board.