An African Union (AU) mission helicopter crashed at an airport in Somalia, killing at least three people and injuring several civilians when munitions onboard detonated.
It was around 7:30am when a helicopter on an ammunition-transporting mission from Baledogle military base crashed.
The aircraft was being operated by the Ugandan forces under the AUSSOM program.
The helicopter contained some ammunition, and due to the crash impact, the ammunition also exploded, which increased the severity of the damage.
According to police and witnesses, the buildings close to the crash site suffered considerable damage, while the explosion also caused some civilian injuries.
“The explosion was intense. We saw smoke, and ambulances and fire engines arrived in a rush,” said an eyewitness Mohamed Yare.Authorities reported that flight services are still actively operating and are not disrupted in any manner. They are also looking into the reason behind the aircraft crash.
AU mission in Somalia, which is fighting al Shabaab militants, has been facing financial difficulties, and having to deal with multiple insurgencies in the region only ramps up the problems.
