Plane crash-lands in Somalia with over 40 passengers onboard

Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | A plane carrying more than 40 passengers crash-landed into a military base in Gedo region, southern Somalia, early on Wednesday, local officials confirmed.

Officials said the passengers were evacuated safely after a Skyward flight from Nairobi crash-landed at Burahache military camp, Elwak, Gedo region in Somalia, which is about 15 kilometers from the Somalia-Kenya border.

“No one was hurt in the incident,” said a local official who declined to be identified.

The plane had left Wilson Airport of Nairobi, capital of Kenya, and was destined for Mandera in northeast Kenya Wednesday morning when the incident happened.

Sources blamed the latest incident on a mechanical problem but added aviation experts would be flown to the scene to carry out investigations.

Survivors said they sustained minor injuries after the plane landed on its landing gear within the military camp, partially damaging it.

Photos taken at the scene showed some soldiers talking to some of the passengers and the plane had landed on its belly.

The Gedo area is under the control of Somali National Army (SNA) although the militant group, al-Shabab, occasionally stages sporadic attacks in the region.

Skyward officials in Nairobi promised to issue a statement after getting more information on the incident.

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Xinhua