An African Union helicopter crashed at the airport in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing at least three people and leaving several others with varying degrees of injuries.
The aircraft was part of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), tasked with combating the Al-Shabaab militant group terrorising the country.
As gathered, the aircraft crash-landed around 7:30 a.m. at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport after departing from the Baledogle military airbase.
According to the head of the airport’s immigration office, Aden Adde, the helicopter, which belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated under AUSSOM, had taken off with eight people on board before the crash occurred.
The fate of the remaining five people on board has yet to be determined, a Ugandan military spokesperson said.
Witnesses described the helicopter plummeting to the ground and exploding, sparking a fire.
Abdirahim Ali, who lives nearby, said he saw “a huge explosion and smoke everywhere,” while aviation officer Omar Farah told newsmen that he “saw the helicopter spinning and then it fell very fast.”
Minor delays were reported at the airport, but the Director-General of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said that flights had resumed.
“The situation is under control. The runway is clear and fully operational, flights can land and take off as usual,” said the airport spokesperson.
