KHARTOUM - At least 17 people were killed on Sunday when a Sudanese military plane crashed west of Omdurman city near the capital Khartoum, a security source said.

"A Plane, Antonov, carrying 21 military personnel, crashed in Omdurman city, east of the Sudanese capital Khartoum," the security source told Xinhua anonymously.

"So far there is no official information on the number of the victims, but preliminary estimations indicate that 17 military personnel were killed and four others injured," the source added.

The injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital, the source said, adding that a technical fault was behind the incident.

No official statement has been issued by the Sudanese army yet, but Sudan's official radio earlier put the death toll at over 15.