KHARTOUM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Four agricultural workers were killed and eight others injured in a collision between a pest-control spraying plane and a small auto in eastern Sudan's Gedaref State, a local official said on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Friday when a pest-control spraying plane was landing in an agricultural area while "its captain was surprised by the entry of a tuk-tuk, a small tricycle auto, onto the runway," Gedaref State's acting Minister of Agriculture, Ammar Suleiman, told Xinhua.
One of the injured was in critical condition and had been transferred to Kassala Hospital in the neighboring state for treatment, the minister said.
The plane's three crew members survived the incident, while the plane sustained damage on the wing and propeller, Suleiman said, adding all casualties were from the tuk-tuk, which was carrying 15 people at the time of the accident.
Gedaref State is currently embracing the beginning of summer crops harvest, most notably the sesame crop.
The state has become the most important agricultural region in Sudan, particularly with regard to rain-fed agriculture, since the central Gezira State dropped out of the agricultural cycle after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the state in December 2023.
According to the minister, the total cultivation area in Gedaref State reached 7.5 million feddans (about 3.15 million hectares) this year.
Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since mid-April 2023. According to a situation report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project on Oct. 14, the conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths. ■
