A civilian plane from Djibouti carrying food aid crashed on Tuesday during landing at Ugaas Khalif Airport in Beledweyne town in Hiiraan region of central Somalia.
Abdirahman Riyale, Sector 4 Commander of Djibouti Army under the African Union peacekeeping troops, told reporters at the airport that three crew members had been rescued while the food aid had burnt down.
“It was unfortunate that a civilian plane carrying food crashed and burnt down, we rescued people who were among the crew, but the food was completely burnt down,” said Riyale.
He said that the food aid from the Djibouti government was meant for civilians affected by the recent flooding in central Somalia.
Ali Jeyte Osman, Governor of Hiraan region, said the absence of firefighters derailed rescue of food donations meant for flood victims.
Charles Imbiakha, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) spokesperson said that investigations to establish the cause of the plane crash will be launched soon.
Sources said the aircraft, registered as 5Y-VVU, operated by Kenya’s Bluebird Aviation was carrying humanitarian aid and supplies for the AMISOM members based at Beledweyne airport.
The airline’s Dash 8-400 freighter aircraft are operated on charter flights for governments and international aid agencies operating in East Africa.
The latest incident is the second after a Kenyan plane carrying health supplies was mistakenly shot down by Ethiopian troops on May 4, killing six people on board.
