Preliminary reports indicate that the cargo plane was returning from Dhobley town in the Lower Juba region after delivering supplies to the African Union forces when it crashed on Saturday, March 22 at around 5:43 pm local time.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that the aircraft crash occurred approximately 24km southwest of Mogadishu.
The aircraft involved was a DHC-5D Buffalo, with serial number 109 and registration 5Y-RBA.
According to SCAA, the aircraft was operated by Trident Aviation Ltd.
“There were five persons on board (POB), all of whom have tragically lost their lives. The flight had departed from Dhobley (HCDB) and was en route to Aden Abdulle International Airport (HCMM),” the statement reads.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority further said that government agencies, along with partners, are already on-site for search and rescue purposes.
Initial reports on Saturday indicated that 4 Kenyan nationals were on board on the plane.
The cargo plane is said to have experienced mechanical problems on Saturday while it was in Dhobley but reports further said that it was fixed, according to the Somaliland Standard.
SCAA has said that it shall provide more information about the tragedy as soon as it becomes available, while promising to conduct a thorough investigation in collaboration with the government to determine the cause of the accident.
MNA
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