After receiving more details about Saturday's accident at SIM's Doro base in Sudan, we are in awe of the MIRACLE that took place. Before every flight, the pilot prays and commits each trip to the Lord. This time it was no different—and we confidently reaffirm that truly, 'our times are in God's hands.' Thank you Lord for the lives of each person on the plane!

Pilot and passengers are here in Kenya and getting medical attention. Two are at Kijabe Hospital receiving surgery today.

We praise God for the many unnamed people who helped both at the scene of the accident and at the UN Hospital in Malakal, Sudan. Please pray that God will bless them for the ways that they cared for our people.

We have learned that the damage to the Cessna Caravan was severe. We've learned that the plane went down before reaching critical flying speed, landed in a ravine, and flipped over. (Note: This was not SIM's newly purchased Cessna 206.)

Read another report about the aircraft accident

25 April 2008

On take-off from their stop at Doro (Mabaan county in Upper Nile) the Cessna Caravan went off the airstrip around 11 a.m. SIM passengers Barb Hartwig, Sandy Ewan, Claire Meckler, and Debbie Sardo, along with pilot Andy Keller have been reported as OK by SIM nurse, Vicki Beatti. SIM Sudanese doctor Angelina Minuel, Canadian nurse Amy Winger, and UK nurse Anne Lee are also on site attending to this.

The swerve of the plane and crash were seen by a group of missionaries, as they had just said goodbye to their teammates. They immediately went to the site and found the pilot dizzy, but all the rest were initially reported as OK. They were all instructed to lie down on the ground to insure everyone was fine. Dr. Rob Congdon, SIM Sudan medical director, is taking the medical lead on this crisis. All passengers and the pilot have now been moved to Doro station.

Vital signs have been reported back to Dr. Rob Congdon and the reports are all stable:

• Claire Meckler reports aches and pains
• Debbie Sardo reports aches and pains
• Barb Hartwig has a swollen left hand and could have orthopedic injuries
• Andy Keller has a swollen leg and could have orthopedic injuries
• Sandy Ewan reports no symptoms

Our good friend who is a United Nations (UN) liason working with refugee repatriation in Mabaan offered to ask for a UN helicopter airlift out to Malakal. All five will be airlifted to the UN clinic, and AIM AIR pilot Jim Stryk and Dr. Rob Congdon will arrive in Malakal to bring the whole team back to Nairobi.

The Cessna Caravan took off from Lokichoggio at about 7 a.m. this morning, stopped to offload goods at Yabus, and proceeded to Doro to offload items and pick up Barb Hartwig, who has successfully initiated the Community Health training at Doro, and Sandy Ewan, who is coordinating the opening of the Memorial Health Care Center.

This flight was on its way to drop off teachers Claire Meckler and Debbie Sardo as they were prepared to teach the next session of the Basic Education Learning Center at Thiangrial, which starts April 27. There was a refueling stop scheduled and the pickup of our Kenyan education coordinator Ruth Odenga at Abwong. Ruth has been in Abwong monitoring and evaluating the program there for the past week.

Pray for each of the people mentioned in this report.