A military helicopter operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission crashed and caught fire on Wednesday morning at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport, killing at least three people, according to Somali officials.
The helicopter, which originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force, was carrying eight personnel when it crashed while arriving from Baledogle Airfield in the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia.
Artan Mohamed, head of the immigration office at the airport, confirmed that three people had died in the crash, which occurred around 7:30 a.m. The total number of casualties remains uncertain, as search and rescue efforts continue.
Ugandan army spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Felix Kulaigye, said three individuals survived the crash with burns and were transported to a hospital for treatment. The whereabouts of the remaining five passengers are still unknown.
The African Union peacekeeping mission, known as the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), confirmed that rescue operations are ongoing to locate the remaining crew and passengers.
The impact of the crash reportedly triggered the detonation of munitions onboard, resulting in injuries to three nearby civilians, according to Kulaigye.
Omar Farah, an aviation officer who rushed to the crash site, said he saw the helicopter “spinning before it dropped suddenly.” Witness Abdirahim Ali, a resident near the airport, described a “huge explosion and smoke everywhere.”
Although the incident caused minor disruptions, normal airport operations resumed shortly afterward.
AUSSOM, which includes over 11,000 troops from contributing countries such as Uganda and Kenya, supports the Somali government in its ongoing battle against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab. The group has waged a deadly insurgency in Somalia since the mid-2000s.
