'At least 100 dead' as plane explodes in Sudan

A plane exploded and caught fire after landing at Khartoum airport in Sudan today.

About 200 passengers were thought to be aboard, but it was unclear how many might be casualties.

The plane apparently veered off a runway as it landed, and then burst into flames.

Ambulances and fire engines were seen rushing to the scene after the accident tonight.

The plane was flying from Amman in Jordan. It was not immediately clear what airline was involved.

Sudanese TV said at least 100 people were killed in the crash.

The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather "caused the plane to crash-land, split into two and catch fire."

Mr Najib said the plane was flying from Amman after first taking off from Damascus, in Syria.

Al-Jazeera TV station said it was a Sudanese Airways passenger jet, and Mr Najib confirmed the plane is from a Sudanese airline.

Deputy parliament speaker, Mohammed al-Hassan al-Ameen later said the death toll for the moment was "about 30 people." He provided no details.

Police spokesman Mohammed Abdel Majid al-Tayeb said five bodies have so far been pulled out of the wreckage, and that the front of the plane is totally damaged. Mr Al-Tayeb said about 100 people were safe, and an unspecified number in hospitals.

"There are missing passengers who could be still inside the plane, or left the aircraft but did not inform officials that they were passengers," he added.

Flight attendant Sarrah Faisal, lying on a stretcher and wearing a plastic neck-collar told Sudanese TV, her voice shaking: "Thank God we were able to get all the passengers out." She gave no more details.

Fawzi Abdel-Raheem, director of police hospital was quoted by the TV as saying they didn't receive any dead, only one serious burn injury.