The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Director Defence Public information Maj Gen Felix Kulaigye has confirmed the death of five people in the UPDF helicopter crash at the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia on Wednesday morning.
In statement, Kulaigye said the five were part of the eight personnel who were on board at the time of the crash with the remaining three crew members sustaining severe injuries.
“The helicopter was conducting a routine combat escort mission when the incident occurred, on board the aircraft were eight personnel, including six crew members. The impact triggered a detonation of onboard munitions, causing significant damage to nearby structures and injuring three civilians” he said.
Kulaigye added, “The pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer survived the crash but sustained serious injuries and severe burns. They were evacuated, along with the three injured civilians, to the AUSSOM Sector 1 Level II Hospital for treatment, the 05 personnel on board died in this helicopter crash”.
Kulaigye noted that the UPDF Mi-24 helicopter, aircraft tail number AUO-015, crashed approximately 200 metres East of the North Ramp at Mogadishu International Airport.
Kulaigye said an official investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash as joint emergency response team, comprising firefighters from Mogadishu International Airport and the United Nations, along with AUSSOM Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel, is managing the scene and supporting rescue operations.
