A plane conveying medical supplies for use in the fight against the coronavirus crashed in Somalia on Monday, killing all the six people on board.
The Somali Transport Minister, Mohamed told Reuters news agency that the six people include the pilot, copilot, flight engineer and a trainee pilot, as well as two people working for the airline. Five bodies were recovered so far, he said.
Mohammed who declined to speculate on the cause of the crash, said the unit he sent to investigate the incident will arrive on Tuesday, and that he welcomed international assistance.
Somalia News Agency said the plane belonged to African Express Airways and was ferrying supplies for use in the fight against coronavirus.
Somalia’s former minister of defence, Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed, said a witness told him the plane made an initial attempt to land, swung around again because of wildlife on the airfield, and then appeared to be shot on one wing on its second approach.
He provided photographs showing the plane in flames, pieces of it scattered over a small area, and its tail intact, and provided a passenger list with six names. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the images or confirm the names.