MOGADISHU, July 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An African Union helicopter crashed at the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing at least three people and injuring several civilians when munitions onboard detonated, officials and witnesses said.
The aircraft was part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), tasked with fighting the Al-Shabaab militant group.
The helicopter, operated by the Ugandan contingent, “crash-landed” at around 7:30 am Wednesday at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport after departing from Baledogle military airbase, AUSSOM said.
“There were several people recovered from the scene of the crash, three of them were already dead, and they were carried in stretchers,” police officer Abdi Ali said.
The helicopter was conducting a routine combat escort mission, according to the Ugandan military.
“The impact triggered a detonation of onboard munitions, causing significant damage to nearby structures and injuring three civilians,” it said in a statement.
It said the pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer survived the crash, “but sustained serious injuries and severe burns”.
They and the three civilians were taken to hospital for treatment, the statement said.
Somalia’s civil aviation authorities told reporters investigations were ongoing into the cause of the crash.
Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, said the airport remained operational despite debris on the runway.
The US embassy in Mogadishu expressed its “deepest condolences to the families of the brave warriors” in a post on X.
The AUSSOM mission faces funding difficulties, even as fears of an Al-Shabaab resurgence are stoked by attacks in the Horn of Africa nation. — NNN-AGENCIES
