A small aircraft carrying oil workers in South Sudan's Unity State crashed on takeoff from its oilfield airport on Wednesday, killing 20 people, the region's information minister said.

South Sudan, a nation affected by conflict, has experienced multiple air disasters in recent years. In September 2018, a small plane traveling from the capital, Juba, to Yirol crashed, resulting in at least 19 fatalities.

At least 20 people have been killed in a plane crash in the north of South Sudan, Unity state’s minister for information said. The aircraft came down near the oil fields in Unity state at about 10:30am (08:30 GMT) shortly after taking off for the capital, Juba, on Wednesday.