The pilot of a Somalia-bound cargo plane on Thursday died while two others are nursing injuries following an accident at El-Barde Airport in the South West Region of the East African country.
In a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, the cargo plane crashed moments before landing at the airport.
The plane was transporting humanitarian supplies to the World Food Programme Agency (WFP) regional offices when it veered off the runway.
Following the crash, locals rushed to the plane to rescue the occupants. Two passengers were rescued from the scene.
The pilot, however, succumbed to injuries.
"The United Nations in Somalia sends its condolences to the family and friends of the victim, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery," the statement read in part.
"The United Nations is working with the airline's contractor and the authorities of the Federal Government and those of the South West State to investigate the incident."
A spot check by Kenyans.co.ke reveals that the plane is a Jetways Airlines Fokker 50 cargo, that had a Kenyan flag on it.
Jetway Airlines is a registered airline company based at Wilson Airport, Nairobi.
The accident comes barely a week after another UN helicopter was captured by militant group Al-Shabaab after crash-landing in Somalia.
The chopper, which carried nine passengers, landed at Dhusamareb, a territory believed to be under the control of Al-Shabaab.
Following the accident, the nine passengers involved third-party contractors and a Somali national.
