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Somalia: Ethiopian Air Force plane crashes in Mogadishu | |
(35 minutes later) | |
An Ethiopian Air Force cargo plane has crashed and caught fire on landing at Mogadishu airport in Somalia. | |
Four of the six crew members onboard the aircraft - carrying ammunition for international forces fighting Islamist militants - were killed. | |
Ammunition could be heard exploding inside the plane as the fire spread, closing the airport. The blaze was put out after about two hours. | |
Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in 2011 to assist African Union forces. | Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in 2011 to assist African Union forces. |
It is not known yet when the plane got into difficulties, and whether it overshot the runway, or fell short of it. | It is not known yet when the plane got into difficulties, and whether it overshot the runway, or fell short of it. |
It was not immediately clear where the plane flew from. | |
The Somali Islamist militia, al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, described the crash as an act of God, reports the BBC's Abdullahi Abdi Sheikh in Nairobi. | |
On its Twitter feed, al-Shabab said the plane crash had "thwarted... the plots of the enemy invaders". | |
Ethiopian troops are not part of the African Union peacekeeping force, supporting the Somali government forces in their fight against al-Shabab. | |
Al-Shabab militants have shot at planes in the past but not in recent years, the Associated Press news agency reports. | Al-Shabab militants have shot at planes in the past but not in recent years, the Associated Press news agency reports. |
The two crew members injured in the crash are currently receiving medical attention at the African Union hospital in Mogadishu, its mission in Somalia, Amisom, said in a statement. | The two crew members injured in the crash are currently receiving medical attention at the African Union hospital in Mogadishu, its mission in Somalia, Amisom, said in a statement. |
Crash probe | |
The crash occurred shortly before 08:00 local time (05:00GMT), Amisom said. There was no damage to the runway, it added. | The crash occurred shortly before 08:00 local time (05:00GMT), Amisom said. There was no damage to the runway, it added. |
"The cause of the incident is yet to be established but investigations are currently under way," the AU mission said. | "The cause of the incident is yet to be established but investigations are currently under way," the AU mission said. |
The aircraft was a Soviet-made Antonov 24, Reuters news agency reports. Military aircraft regularly land at the airport. It was unclear what ammunition the plane was carrying. | |
A convoy of empty Somali military trucks had been seen earlier at the airport, Reuters adds. | A convoy of empty Somali military trucks had been seen earlier at the airport, Reuters adds. |
Somalia - which has seen conflict since 1991 - has a poor record on aviation safety. | Somalia - which has seen conflict since 1991 - has a poor record on aviation safety. |