Russian plane crashes on takeoff from South Sudan airport

A Russian plane has crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in South Sudan, killing at least 10 people on board, a police officer and local media reported.

A South Sudan presidential spokesman says two people have survived, amid reports one of those is a child.

There are reports up to 40 bodies at the scene of the crash, but eyewitnesses have been unable to confirm how many of those were flying on board the cargo plane.

Witnesses said the tail fin of the plane and other parts were scattered along the banks of the White Nile River near the airport in Juba, the capital.

A police officer near the scene, who did not give his name, said there were two survivors but could not say how many people were on board or give further details.

The aircraft was a cargo plane with five Russian crew and seven passengers, South Sudan Tribune, a local media outlet, said on Twitter.

It also reported that two people survived, one of them a child.