SOMALIA: 5 feared dead in Ugandan military helicopter crash

KAMPALA | Xinhua |  The Ugandan military said Wednesday that one of its helicopters crashed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, with five of the eight people on board feared dead.

Felix Kulayigye, spokesperson for the Ugandan military, told Xinhua by telephone that three of those on board survived, while the search operation continues.

“Eight people were on board. Three made it out safely but with severe burns,” said Kulayigye. “The search is still on. They are fighting the fire.”

The military is investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred at Aden Adde International Airport on Wednesday morning, the spokesperson added.

Last September, the Ugandan military lost a transport helicopter while flying from Mogadishu to Baledogle Airfield, about 90 km northwest of the Somali capital. All four peacekeepers on board survived the accident, according to the military.

Uganda has been one of the troop-contributing countries to the African Union peacekeeping mission in the Horn of Africa since 2007. ■

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