afrol News, 20 February - A cargo plane in Egypt has killed five crew members when it crashed soon after taking off and burst into flames at the airport in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor on Friday, government has confirmed in a statement. A South African flight, reportedly from Uganda to Ukraine crashed in the early hours after refueling.

Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Ahmad Shafiq said in a statement that the plane was in the process of lifting off from the tarmac when it came down and caught fire.

“The plane then slid off the tarmac and came to rest hundreds of yards from the runway where it was consumed in flames,” he said.

Mr Shafiq said Egyptian authorities have begun gathering pieces of the incinerated wreckage at the scene and are also conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

The officials said firefighters and rescue workers dashed to the scene but were unable to save the crew members, however said the accident did not disrupt the daily operations at the airport.

The crew included one person from Russia, two from Belarus and two from Ukraine.

The Russian-made Antonov An-12 cargo plane was first flown in 1957.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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