A helicopter utilised by an African Union peacekeeping mission has crashed at the international airport in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, resulting in the deaths of five passengers, according to a spokesperson for the Ugandan military.
Another three of the helicopter’s eight occupants survived the incident on Wednesday, albeit with serious injuries and burns, the spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye, stated.
The impact of the crash caused munitions on board to detonate, which destroyed nearby structures and injured three civilians, he added.
The helicopter had taken off from Baledogle Airfield in the Lower Shabelle region and crash-landed at Aden Adde International Airport just before touchdown, as confirmed by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
AUSSOM also verified that at least three people had survived the crash, which occurred at approximately 7:30 am local time (04:30 GMT).
Abdirahim Ali, a resident nearby, reported witnessing “a huge explosion and smoke everywhere,” while aviation officer Omar Farah told The Associated Press that he “saw the helicopter spinning and then it fell very quickly”.
Minor delays were experienced at the airport; however, the director-general of the country’s civil aviation authority stated that flights had resumed.
“The situation is under control. The runway is clear and fully operational – flights can land and take off as normal,” noted Ahmed Macalin Hassan.
The AUSSOM mission comprises over 11,000 personnel in Somalia from countries including Uganda and Kenya. They are assisting the Somali military in combating the armed group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda that seeks to overthrow the country’s government and impose its own rule.
This week, the Somali army eliminated a prominent leader from the group in the Middle Shabelle region, according to state media reports.
Quoting military sources, the Somali National News Agency indicated that the leader was targeted during an operation in the Dar Nama’a area.