“I saw the helicopter spinning and then it fell very fast.” That was how aviation officer Omar Farah described the crash at Mogadishu’s airport on Wednesday, in comments to The Associated Press. Farah was among the first people to reach the site. Five Ugandan soldiers died.
The aircraft was an Mi-24 flying for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM. It carried eight people and was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region. A civil aviation official told Anadolu it came down while landing at Aden Adde Airport after leaving Balidoogle airfield, where US and Somali special forces are based. The Ugandan army said the crash site lay about 200 meters east of the North Ramp at Mogadishu International Airport.
The helicopter had belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union mission. Uganda’s military said it was on “a routine combat escort mission.” The pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived with serious injuries and burns.
Explosion injures civilians
Munitions on board went off after the impact. According to the Ugandan army, the blast injured three civilians and damaged nearby structures. The civilians and the three injured crew members were evacuated to the AUSSOM Sector 1 Level II Hospital for treatment.
Abdirahim Ali, who lives nearby, said he saw “a huge explosion and smoke everywhere.” Halima Ahmed, a resident of the Wabari district, told Anadolu by phone that thick smoke was rising from the airport. Rescue workers and firefighters reached the scene and contained the blaze. A joint emergency team of airport and UN firefighters, along with AUSSOM explosive ordnance disposal personnel, helped the rescue effort.
Flights at the airport suffered minor delays. Normal operations have since resumed.
Cause not yet established
Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations are underway. The Ugandan army likewise said an official investigation is in progress. Neither has said what brought the aircraft down.
AUSSOM is helping Somali authorities fight al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the country. Its troops come from several countries, including Uganda and Kenya.
Sources
- Helicopter on African Union Mission Crashes in Somalia, Killing 5 Ugandan Soldiers
- African Union peacekeeping helicopter crash at Somali airport kills 5: Ugandan military
