Cargo plane explodes into fireball in Khartoum

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A cargo plane crashed into an emptyarea near the airport in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Monday,exploding into a fireball, witnesses said.

It was not immediately known how many people were on boardthe aircraft and whether they had survived or been killed.

"The plane was taking off from the airport ... It blew upinto a fireball," said a U.N. official, declining to be named.He identified the aircraft as a Russian-built Ilyushin Il-76.

Police and emergency workers cordoned off the area and aReuters cameraman said he had been briefly detained.

Witnesses at the crash scene said the plane appeared tohave careered across a major road before exploding in an openspace near an office building.

Wreckage was strewn across a wide area and firefighterswere putting out the blaze, they said.

"There are huge patches of dark engine oil," said onewitness.

Aviation officials could not be reached immediately forcomment.