MOGADISHU, Feb 11 (Reuters) – A 70-year-old passenger on a plane that crashed on the seashore in Somalia’s capital described horror and panic on board before the aircraft made a dramatic landing in knee-deep water, with all crew and travellers unharmed.
The plane, a Fokker 50 operated by Starsky Aviation, sustained an unspecified technical issue soon after takeoff on Tuesday. It was forced to return to Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport, where it skidded off the runway, only coming to a stop near the seashore.
Pictures posted on social media showed passengers exiting the plane and walking in shallow water after the pilot urged them to escape quickly, in case of fire.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority said all 55 people on board the plane were taken to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation and care. The pilot has been praised by the airline for his quick thinking and for remaining calm.
Passenger Mohamed Hussein Odowa told Reuters on Wednesday the plane had been airborne for just a few minutes when the captain announced that the flight would have to return to the airport due to unspecified defects.
“Stay calm and keep your belts tightened,” he recalled the plane’s crew telling passengers.
As the engines started to sputter, terrified passengers began reading the Quran, he said.
“It landed, hitting the runway but (then) sped madly and we understood the pilot was unable to stop the plane, no brake control,” he said.
Even as one of the wings smashed against a hillock, the aircraft kept going until it finally stopped along the seashore.
“The plane stopped in the ocean at knee-deep water and the two doors got opened,” Odowa said.
“The pilot shouted ‘Get out quickly … I was among the oldest passengers but all of a sudden I was outside with my bag, thank God.”
The civil aviation authority did not immediately provide further details on the cause of the incident.
(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly, Aidan Lewis)
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