JUBA, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Monday called on the African Union and the United Nations to launch an "immediate joint and transparent" investigation into an Ethiopian military helicopter's crash inside a UN compound on Saturday.
Three crew members were killed and 10 passengers were injured in the crash in Abyei region, between Sudan and South Sudan.
"South Sudan government calls upon the African Union and United Nations for an immediate joint and transparent investigation into this incident to find the cause and also establish measures that would prevent such helicopter crashes in the future," the South Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement issued in Juba.
On Sunday, Gebre Adhana Woldezgu, acting head of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), said the military helicopter crashed with 23 passengers on board inside the mission compound.
Wolddezu said the MI-8 helicopter was on a routine operation carrying Ethiopian troops on rotation from Kadugli to Abyei when it crashed.
According to UNISFA, Ethiopia has around 4,500 personnel on the ground to support efforts of ensuring peace and security in Abyei.
