A South West Aviation Let L-410, registration UR-TWO performing a flight from Juba to Yirol (South Sudan) with 20 passengers and 3 crew, impacted Yirol River south of the aerodrome at Yirol City about 1.75nm south of the aerodrome at about position N6.53 E30.49 at about 09:00L (06:00Z).

19 bodies were recovered from the river with the help of local fishermen, 4 survivors were taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

The Information Minister in Eastern Lakes State reported the aircraft carried 23 people. 19 bodies were recovered, 4 survivors were taken to a hospital. The rescue and recovery was done by local fishing boats present at the accident site.

Low visibility may have contributed to the accident.

A domestic carrier named Southwest (editorial note: there is no evidence of that carrier on the Internet) had chartered the aircraft to carry out a passenger flight from Juba to Yirol City. South Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority have opened an investigation.

In the evening of Sep 9th 2018 The Aviation Herald received a passenger manifest showing the operator of the flight was South West Aviation, the aircraft operated was UR-TWO. The handwritten manifest lists 17 adults and 3 children as passengers, one of the adults is listed as Ugandan Citizen, one an Ethiopian Citizen, all others as South Sudan Citizens.

Italian Media report an Italian citizen, working as doctor for a NGO in South Sudan (the name appears on the manifest as South Sudan Citizen), is amongst the survivors and has been taken to Juba with serious injuries.

No weather data for Yirol are available.