DUSHANBE, November 5, 2015, Asia-Plus – A Soviet-era cargo plane that crashed in South Soudan was registered to Tajik air carrier, Asia Airways.

Asia Airways Director General Narziqul Hamroyev has told Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service that the plane had Asia Airways’ registration number EY406 but “it had executed orders of a company registered in the United Arab Emirates.”

According to him, the company concluded a contract with Asia Airways, under which the plane had been flying under the registration number of Asia Airways.

A special commission will be set up to investigate the cause of the crash, Hamroyev added.

Asia Airways is a Tajik airline based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.  The airline provides cargo and passenger services between Tajikistan and countries such as Afghanistan, India, China, Sharja and Iran.  The Asia Airways fleet reportedly consists of one Antonov-26, four Antonov-12s, and one Illyushin II-76.

Meanwhile, India’s Daily News and Analysis ( DNA ) reported on November 4 that the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing company, Antonov State Company, which built the plane, said that the decades-old Antonov plane that crashed in South Sudan, killing at least 36 people, “was is no state to fly.”

“The An-12B was is no state to fly because it failed to undergo timely technical servicing... that should have included work on extending its resources and exploitation timeframe,” Antonov State Company said in a statement.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, the plane''s first flight was in 1971.  It was being operated by Allied Services Limited, a logistics company based in South Sudan, at the time of the crash.

Reuters reports a Soviet-era cargo plane with passengers on board crashed on Wednesday after taking off from the airport in South Sudan''s capital, killing dozens of people.  An official reportedly said three people on board survived.

A Reuters witness saw 41 bodies, some of which were covered by cloth.  A police officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media, also put the death toll at 41.  Another witness counted at least 32 killed.

Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Reuters the plane was carrying 18 people, including the six foreign crew, according to official documents.  He said 15 of them died and three South Sudanese nationals survived, including a child.

“This is the number given to us by the (control) tower,” he told Reuters in reference to those on board.  Asked about figures suggesting a higher toll, he said it could be people killed on the ground but said he.

The plane, registration number EY406, had reportedly been on its way to Paloch, in the north of South Sudan.

The presidential spokesman said the six crew were comprised of five Armenians and one Russian.  He said all the others on the flight were South Sudanese.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that five of its citizens who were members of the crew died in the crash.  It cited its embassy in Egypt.

BBC reports that a cargo plane has crashed on take-off near the international airport in South Sudan''s capital Juba, killing at least 36 people.

South Sudan''s Transport Minister Kuong Danhier Gatluak was quoted as saying two people were found alive, but one of them later died.  Earlier an official had said there were three survivors.

Transport Minister Kuong Danhier Gatluak told AP that 36 people were confirmed dead.