A Ugandan military helicopter Mil Mi-24, registration AUO-015, crashed yesterday afternoon shortly before landing at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu, causing the death of five of its eight occupants. The violent impact triggered the explosion of onboard munitions, also injuring three civilians on the ground and causing serious disruptions at the Somali airport. The aircraft, owned by the African Union and operated by the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF) contingent, was coming from the Baledogle military airbase and was operating as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission (AUSOM) in Somalia, according to a statement from AUSOM itself.

The incident occurred just before 7pm local time; the helicopter was preparing to land after completing a routine escort mission. The Ugandan military spokesperson, Major General Felix Kulayigye, confirmed the death of five people onboard, while the remaining three occupants —the pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer— survived despite suffering serious injuries and burns. Eyewitnesses at the airport described dramatic scenes: "We heard the explosion and saw smoke and flames above the helicopter. The smoke completely enveloped the aircraft", reported an airport employee.

The impact, as mentioned, caused the detonation of some of the munitions onboard, destroying adjacent structures within the military area of the airport and injuring three civilians. The head of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, Ahmed Maalim, confirmed to the "BBC" that the helicopter crashed in the military section of the airport.

The AUSOM mission, comprising about 11,000 personnel, supports the Somali government in the fight against the extremist group al-Shabab, linked to al-Qaeda. The incident temporarily delayed the departure of a Turkish Airlines passenger flight, but domestic flights were able to operate normally, according to local authorities. An investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the air disaster.

Below is a video from "Africanews", filmed shortly after the crash: