NEW YORK: The United Nations (UN) confirms that its contracted helicopter experienced an incident in Somalia during an attempt to carry out a medical evacuation, the UN mission in Somalia said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reported Sputnik.
“The UN can confirm that there has been an aviation incident involving its contracted helicopter in Somalia today. The helicopter was conducting an air medical evacuation. Response efforts are underway,“ the statement said on Wednesday.
Somali news website Garowe Online reported earlier on Wednesday, citing multiple sources who sought anonymity, that the helicopter allegedly carrying weapons to an unknown destination “accidentally” landed in a territory controlled by the al-Shabaab group (linked to the al-Qaeda group) after a technical glitch near the town of Haradhere in the Galguduud administrative region of Somalia.
There were at least nine UN workers aboard the helicopter, sources told the media. Two UN employees managed to escape captivity, while others are reportedly still detained by the al-Shabaab.
Mohamed Abdi Adan, the minister of internal security of the Somali state of Galmudug, told Bloomberg in a phone call on Wednesday that one passenger had been killed and five others were being held hostage.
“Two of the seven passengers, one of whom is a Somali national, were able to escape with rifles, but another person who tried to escape was killed. The remaining individuals were took hostage after the helicopter crashed,“ the report quoted Abdi Adan as saying.
The minister reportedly confirmed that the helicopter with soldiers and medical personnel was on an evacuation mission and landed in Galguduud after experiencing a mechanical failure.
The Wall Street Journal reported later in the day, citing the Somali military, that the nine people on board the captured helicopter included two Kenyan medics, an Ugandan soldier, a Somali officer and an Egyptian doctor who was later killed.
A senior official told the newspaper that the UN had created an emergency taskforce to resolve the crisis.
The Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based group linked to the al-Qaeda. It wages armed resistance against the Somali government and obstructs UN humanitarian missions in the country.–Bernama-Sputnik
