A Ugandan military helicopter with eight people on board crashed and was engulfed in flames at the main international airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
Three people escaped with burns, yet the other five were “yet to be accounted for” after the crash at the Aden Adde International Airport, said Maj Gen Felix Kulaigye, adding that its cause still remains unclear.
“We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter.
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The smoke entirely covered the helicopter,” Farah Abdulle, one of the airport staff, told Reuters.
According to reports in Somalia, fire was quickly contained by the emergency services, whose proactive actions reduced the harm done after the crash of the helicopter from Uganda.
Reports indicate that Ugandan troops are among an 11,000-strong African Union (AU) force helping the government fight the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group, which has been waging rebellion in Somalia for over 20 years.
Ahmed Maalim, head of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, said the helicopter had come down in the airport’s military section after flying in from the Balidogle airbase in the Lower Shabelle region, close to 90km (56 miles) north-west of Mogadishu.
In a statement, the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia confirmed that three survivors from the crash had been taken to the hospital for treatment, while efforts were ongoing to retrieve the remaining crew and passengers.
Both AU and Somali authorities have launched an investigation to determine what caused the incident to unfold.
The Ugandan helicopter crash temporarily delayed the departure of a Turkish Airlines flight, though domestic air services have reportedly continued without disruption.
For now, officials have yet to release further details pending the outcome of the investigation and ongoing recovery operations.
