An African Union (AU) helicopter belonging to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) crashed on Wednesday morning while attempting to land at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somali state media has reported.

According to the Somali National News Agency (SONNA), the helicopter had taken off from Balidoogle airbase before the crash.

SONNA reported that all eight persons on board survived the crash.

In a post on X, the news agency said: “The AUSSOM helicopter, carrying eight people, crashed during landing at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde Airport this morning after departing Balidoogle,”

It added that “the fire has been contained, and authorities are assessing the situation”.

Somalia’s civil aviation authorities confirmed that despite the incident, all flight operations at the airport continue as normal.

While the cause of the crash has not been disclosed, online footage and images, yet to be verified, showed thick black smoke rising from the vicinity of the airport.

The AUSSOM mission, which succeeded the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), is responsible for supporting Somali forces in counterinsurgency operations against the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group.

AU helicopter crashes at Mogadishu Airport, all eight onboard survive