South Sudan court orders airline to compensate victims of plane crash
The Juba County Court on Tuesday ordered South Supreme Airlines to compensate two pilots who died in a plane crash in March 2021 at Pieri airstrip in Uror County of Jonglei state.
Judge Barnaba Mark Nyikang awarded 175,000 U.S dollars in compensation for each of the pilots and 80,000 dollars for the loss of welfare for each of the victims’ families.
The judge also awarded 64.9 million Kenyan shillings for the late Philip Mwangi’s family and 4 million South Sudanese Pounds for Majur Malou’s family.
Nyikang said that he based his ruling on the Montreal Convention 1999 that is applied internationally because South Sudan has not yet developed strong laws on aviation industry.
Monyluak Alor Kuol, the defense lawyer of the victims’ families said that the court established that South Supreme Airlines did not insure the lives of the two pilots.
Agum Ater Maciek, the wife of late Majur Malou welcomed the court verdict despite having come nearly three years after the fatal plane crash in Pieri.
“We are okay with the verdict but I would like to tell the court that the responsibility of implementing this judgment lies with them and in case, the other party appeals against the judgment, they should expedite the hearing of that appeal so that the case is brought to conclusion,” Maciek said.
In March 2021, a South Supreme Airlines commercial plane with registration number HK-4274 crashed shortly after takeoff at Pieri Airstrip in Uror County of Jonglei State killing 10 people aboard including two pilots.
In February 2023, Juba County Court Judge James Ladu, citing the Montreal Convention ordered South Supreme Airline to pay at least 170,000 dollars to each of the families of the 8 victims.
