VOA News
08 Jul 2003, 21:21 UTC
The Sudanese foreign minister says Tuesday's plane crash in Sudan, which killed at least 115 people, was the direct result of U.S. sanctions.
Mustafa Osman Ismail said the accident was caused by a lack of spare parts, which he said were unavailable because of U.S. sanctions. The United States imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1997. It also remains on the U.S. list of nations that sponsor terrorism.
Here in Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker rejected the Sudanese allegation - saying there is no ban on equipment needed for aviation safety.
The Sudan Airways Boeing 737 crashed minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board except a young boy. The child lost his leg in the accident.
The pilot reported a technical failure after taking off from the town of Port Sudan in the northeast, bound for the capital, Khartoum.
The plane attempted to return to the airstrip, but crashed a few kilometers away. The bodies of the victims were buried in a mass grave in Port Sudan after local government officials called for an immediate burial.
Among the dead are a senior Sudanese air force official and a member of parliament. At least seven foreign nationals were on the flight, including passengers from China and Ethiopia.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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