Among the deceased an Anglican Bishop of Yirol, Simon Adut, a staff member of the South Sudanese Red Cross, while an Italian doctor and two children were among the survivors

According to Taban Abel Aguek, the regional spokesman, only three survived when a small plane crashed into a lake close to Yirol in the centre of the country on Sunday morning.

“Among the dead, 16 are South Sudanese nationals while four are foreigners including the pilot and the co-pilot, who are Sudanese. One Ugandan and an Ethiopian… also died in the crash,” Abel said.

An official with the South Sudan Aviation Authority said investigations were underway but that overloading and bad weather may have led to the accident.

Abel confirmed that the regional governor had declared three days of mourning