A Ugandan military helicopter deployed with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at Mogadishu airport on Wednesday, a Ugandan military spokesperson told Reuters.
Three of the helicopter’s eight occupants survived the incident, said the spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye, though he did not provide details on the fate of the other five people.
There was a fire at the crash site, which emergency responders were trying to extinguish, he said.
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said in a statement that “search and rescue operations are currently underway to retrieve the remaining crew and passengers”.
The helicopter crash-landed at Mogadishu’s international airport just before touching down, AUSSOM said.