This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
A Kenyan plane operated by Bluebird Aviation, chartered to the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services, crashed at Beledweyne town airport in central Somalia on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.
The DHC-8 Dash 8 aircraft was on a cargo flight from Djibouti, carrying food aid meant for civilians affected by recent flooding in the region.
According to Abdirahman Riyale, Sector 4 Commander of the Djibouti Army under the African Union peacekeeping troops, three crew members were rescued during the incident, but the food aid was completely destroyed in the crash and subsequent fire.
"It was unfortunate that a civilian plane carrying food crashed and burnt down, we rescued people who were among the crew, but the food was completely burnt down," Riyale said.
Ali Jeyte Osman, Governor of Hiraan region, expressed concern over the absence of firefighters, which derailed the rescue of the food donations meant for the flood victims.
Charles Imbiakha, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) spokesperson, announced that investigations to establish the cause of the plane crash will be launched soon.
The incident is the second in recent weeks, following the mistaken shooting down of a Kenyan plane carrying health supplies by Ethiopian troops on May 4, 2020, which killed six people on board.
