Chisinau, Moldova- A Sudanese cargo plane crashed near the Moldovan capital Chisinau killing all eight aboard, the Interfax news agency reported Saturday.

The Antonov-32 twin turboprop had been taking off late Friday night from the former Soviet republic's main airport after a fuelling stop en route to Khartoum from Vienna.

The plane's crew reported engine problems shortly after take off, and attempted to return to Chisinau airport.

The An-32 crashed into the ground some 200 metres short of the runway and burned completely, eyewitnesses said.

Moldovan rescue crews and firemen arrived on the crash scene immediately, but found no survivors.

All persons aboard the flight were Moldovan nationals, the Infotag news agency reported.

Two bodies had been identified by early morning and a search for the plane's black boxes was in progress.

There were no early reports of the charter plane's cargo. The Antonov's next scheduled stop en route to Sudan was Anatolia in Turkey, according to news reports. (dpa)