An airline in Somalia has praised one of its pilots after he landed his passenger plane, which had suffered a technical fault, on the shoreline next to the capital’s international airport.
There were no fatalities among the 50 passengers and five crew. Starsky Airlines said the pilot’s quick thinking was critical in saving all lives on board.
The aircraft, a Fokker 50, reported a problem shortly after take off from Mogadishu on Tuesday and the crew requested that the plane return, Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said.
It then touched down but failed to stop on the runway, overshooting the tarmac before coming to rest in shallow water, the CAA’s director Ahmed Macalin Hassan said.
It is not clear yet exactly what the issue was.
Footage posted on X appeared to show passengers leaving the aircraft and walking away from the wreckage on the shore of the Indian Ocean. No serious injuries have been reported.
The African Union’s mission in Somalia said UN and AU troops were “swiftly deployed” to help with rescue efforts. Somalia’s transport minister was also at the scene, its post on X added.
“We are relieved to confirm that all passengers and crew are safe. Investigations are under way to establish what caused the technical issue that led to the emergency landing,” Starsky spokesman Hassan Mohamed Aden said.
“The pilot’s swift and calm decision-making played a decisive role in ensuring the safety of everyone on board, and we commend him for how he handled the situation,” he added.
By BBC News
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