A Ugandan military helicopter has crashed and caught fire near the main international airport in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a Ugandan military spokesman. The helicopter was carrying eight people.
Three soldiers survived the crash with injuries, while the identities of the other five were not yet known, Ugandan military spokesman Major General Felix Kulaygye said. The cause of the crash was not yet clear.
“There was a loud explosion. Immediately, smoke and flames appeared above the helicopter. The smoke completely covered the helicopter,” airport staff member Farah Abdulle told Reuters.
Somalia’s state news agency said emergency services had brought the fire under control soon after the crash.
About 11,000 soldiers from Uganda are serving as part of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force that has been supporting the government in Somalia for the past two decades, battling al-Shabaab insurgents, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
The helicopter took off from Balidogle air base in the Lower Shabelle region, 90 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu, and crashed in the military wing of the airport, said Ahmed Malim, head of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority.
The AU mission said in an official statement that three injured soldiers had been taken to hospital and that search and recovery operations were ongoing for the remaining crew.
AU and Somali government officials said the incident was under investigation.
The crash delayed the Turkish Airlines flight, while domestic flights were operating normally.