Authorities have reportedly located the crash site of the 1993 plane that carried President Salva Kiir Mayardit and have recovered his passport. The travel document, along with those of other passengers, had been kept safe by a family that also collected armlets from the accident scene, according to Citizen Digital. BBC News adds that the family handed the passport to officials in Sawmill village and also retrieved President Kiir’s armlets.
South Sudan’s Presidential Affairs Minister Barnaba Benjamin led a delegation that received Kiir’s travel documents and armlets at a ceremony attended by villagers. At the time of the crash, Kiir was chief of general staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). He, four Sudanese diplomats, and other passengers were traveling from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Kamoa, Nimule, and South Sudan when the plane fell from 25,000 feet. One passenger died instantly; the survivors, including Kiir, were rescued by locals, reports K24 Digital.
Ambassador Bol Wek, who was then a security officer attached to Kiir, said six people were on board the chartered plane: the pilot, Wek, Kiir, two Norwegian medics, and a Briton. The Briton died on impact, while the pilot and the two Norwegians sustained serious back injuries and are now wheelchair‑bound.
In a past interview, the family said they kept the documents for two years without opening them. Curiosity led one member, Ezekial Keston, to examine the papers, discovering they belonged to Sudanese nationals.
As gratitude for rescuing Kiir and other survivors, the South Sudanese government will build a modern accident and trauma centre at Eldama Ravine Mission Hospital, to be named after President Kiir. The crash site will become part of the nation’s heritage and be developed into a tourism destination, with paved roads and upgraded health facilities, including the proposed Salva Kiir Mayardit Accident and Trauma Centre in Eldama Ravine, reports Nation Africa.
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