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Plane crashes in Somali capital | Plane crashes in Somali capital |
(10 minutes later) | |
A plane has crashed shortly after taking off from the main airport in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. | |
Local witnesses said they saw columns of smoke on the ground. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. | |
One reporter said he saw a missile hit the plane but this is not confirmed. It crashed in the northern suburbs, where there was no fighting on Friday. | |
A spokesman for the Uganda peacekeepers in Somalia, who control the airport, said 11 people were on board. | |
"I saw the plane on fire... One of the wings exploded in the air... When it hit the ground, another explosion occurred," local resident Hassan Mahamud Jama told Reuters news agency. | "I saw the plane on fire... One of the wings exploded in the air... When it hit the ground, another explosion occurred," local resident Hassan Mahamud Jama told Reuters news agency. |
Some reports said the plane crashed because of a mechanical failure. | Some reports said the plane crashed because of a mechanical failure. |
Capt Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for Uganda's peacekeepers in Somalia, said he was aware of reports of a plane crash but was unable to confirm this. | Capt Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for Uganda's peacekeepers in Somalia, said he was aware of reports of a plane crash but was unable to confirm this. |
Mogadishu's international airport is located in the heart of the city. | Mogadishu's international airport is located in the heart of the city. |
'Large explosions' | 'Large explosions' |
Earlier, clan elders from the Hawiye clan which dominates Mogadishu said they had agreed a truce with the Ethiopian army, which helped install the government in they city last December. | Earlier, clan elders from the Hawiye clan which dominates Mogadishu said they had agreed a truce with the Ethiopian army, which helped install the government in they city last December. |
However, some shooting continued in the south of the city. | |
One local resident said he had heard a number of large explosions and machine gunfire. | One local resident said he had heard a number of large explosions and machine gunfire. |
A government official, who did not want to be identified, told the BBC he had heard that Ethiopian tanks had been firing on buildings occupied by Islamist insurgents. | A government official, who did not want to be identified, told the BBC he had heard that Ethiopian tanks had been firing on buildings occupied by Islamist insurgents. |
More than 20 people have died in clashes between insurgents and Ethiopia-backed government forces during two days of clashes - the heaviest fighting in the city this year. | More than 20 people have died in clashes between insurgents and Ethiopia-backed government forces during two days of clashes - the heaviest fighting in the city this year. |
Earlier this month, some 1,200 Ugandan peacekeepers arrived in the city to replace the Ethiopians who want to pull out. | Earlier this month, some 1,200 Ugandan peacekeepers arrived in the city to replace the Ethiopians who want to pull out. |
Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991. | Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991. |