Sudanese Air Force (SAF) Antonov An-32 and AN-26 transport aircraft collide

A recent video posted online shows a Sudanese Air Force (SAF) Antonov An-32 and AN-26 collided on the runway at Khartoum International Airport on 3 October, the Sudanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed after the accident.

The MoD said the aircraft were returning from a training sortie when they collided and that the accident was under investigation.

The video footage showed the Antonov An-32 hitting the rear of the taxiing An-32. According to an eye witness account, the An-32 aircraft had just landed from ‘a training flight’ when the two Antonovs found themselves on the same runway.

All air traffic was suspended at Khartoum airport for much of Wednesday after the incident.

Video footage shows the collision of two Antonov military aircraft on runway 18 at Khartoum Airport. It appears the AN-32 struck the tail of the preceding AN-26 from behind resulting in the crash and in the ultimate destruction of both aircraft. pic.twitter.com/JBxAcnDERQ

— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) October 3, 2018

Eight people were reportedly seriously injured and were taken to hospital. The damage to both aircraft is extensive.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Abdelhafiz Abdelrahim said that according to standard operating procedure in such cases, airport authorities suspended air traffic for safety reasons.

The Sudan Armed Forces have not yet commented on the incident. International flights were diverted to port Sudan Airport.