Captain Hussein Mohamed, the General Manager of Bluebird Aviation, the Kenyan firm that owns the plane that crashed in Somalia yesterday, said a donkey caused the incident.
According to Captain Mohamed, the plane crash-landed when the pilot tried to avoid hitting a donkey that was on the runway at Beledweyne Airport.
The Australia-made plane, Dash 8-400 PF, was registered as 5Y-VVU.
At the time of the accident, it had three crewmembers. All of them suffered a few minor injuries for which they already received treatment.
Captain Mohamed confirmed that the plane was transporting food to African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) soldiers in Beledweyne, where the Djiboutian contingent is based.
Upon reaching the airport, a donkey ran onto the runway. The pilot tried to avoid hitting the donkey unsuccessfully as the plane veered off and crashed into a trench.
Mohamed also assured the public that a UN helicopter has been dispatched to the region to transfer the crewmembers to Mogadishu for further medical attention.