NEWS- Officials in Kenya are investigating an incident in where an aircraft registered in Kenya crashed in southwest of Mogadishu in Somalia, killing five people on board.
The Somalia Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) confirmed the incident that took place over the weekend and stated that all the crew members on board tragically perished on the spot and the families of the victims have since been informed of the tragedy, but the cause of the accident is yet to be determined.
According to available sources, 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 evening.
Dhobley is the headquarters of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) troops from Kenya, who operate Sector II within Jubaland state. The identities of the crew members were not immediately revealed.
“The aircraft involved was a DHC-5D Buffalo with serial number 109 and registration 5Y-RBA,” the Authority said in a statement a few hours after the crash was confirmed.
The team was about to land at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu when the accident happened where were five people on board, all of whom had tragically lost their lives.
“The flight departed from Dhobley and was headed to Aden Adde International Airport. With the aviation teams working to gather more information, it was established that the aircraft was operated and registered in Kenya,” A statement from the authority indicated and added that the Aircraft is Trident Aviation Limited, which operates in Kenya.
Somalia’s dilapidated road infrastructure makes many people prefer air transport, which is faster, safer and more secure due to the al-Shabaab menace in the country, but Somalia has been notorious for aircraft accidents, with experts blaming the phenomenon on aging aircraft, limited infrastructure, and difficult operating conditions.
The DHC-5D Buffalo is a short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft typically used for transporting cargo, particularly in rough terrains and remote locations and in January 2024, another Kenyan cargo aircraft crashed in Somalia, killing two people on board while transporting humanitarian supplies to the World Food Programme (WFP) regional offices when it veered off the runway and crashed moments before landing at the airport.
Months later, in July 2024, a domestic flight operated by Halla Airlines from Garowe to Mogadishu crash-landed at Aden Adde International Airport, leaving two people injured and officials said they are investigating the incidents.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press
