Mogadishu, Somalia — A military helicopter operated by the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) crash-landed Wednesday morning at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, resulting in at least three fatalities and several injuries, Somali and AU officials confirmed.
The helicopter, belonging to the Ugandan Air Force and carrying eight personnel, had taken off from the Baledogle airfield in the Lower Shabelle region. It went down around 7:30 a.m. local time during its final approach.
According to Artan Mohamed, Mogadishu airport’s immigration chief, the crash caused a large explosion and intense flames. He reported: “At least three people were killed.”
A spokeswoman for the Ugandan military confirmed that three occupants are confirmed survivors and have been evacuated to AUSSOM’s Level II hospital.
Eyewitnesses and Somali authorities described the helicopter spinning out of control before striking the runway and erupting in flames.
Aviation officer Omar Farah said he “saw the helicopter spinning and then it fell very fast,” while nearby resident Abdirahim Ali reported a “huge explosion and smoke everywhere.”
Emergency services, including firefighters and rescue teams, contained the blaze and retrieved several bodies and injured survivors from the debris.
According to Civil Aviation Authority Director-General Ahmed Moalim Hassan, some runway equipment was damaged, but airport operations faced only minor disruption and have since resumed.
AUSSOM, which fields over 11,000 troops from nations including Uganda and Kenya to support Somali forces in the fight against the Al-Shabaab militant group, stated investigations into the crash are under way to determine the cause.
AUSSOM and Somali Civil Aviation Authority will jointly investigate the incident.
This helicopter was supporting AUSSOM’s mandate to bolster the Somali National Army’s counter-insurgency efforts against Al-Shabaab, an extremist group opposed to foreign military presence.