An aircraft carrying 50 passengers has crashed shortly after departing an airport in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Preliminary reports indicate the plane took off from the Aden Adde International Airport on Tuesday, February 10, before encountering difficulties approximately 15 minutes into the flight.
The Starsky-operated aircraft was bound for Guriel, the second-largest city in the central Galguduud region of Somalia, located in Galmudug state.
It is reported to have come down along the Indian Ocean shoreline near the airport’s perimeter wall.
Videos shared online, seen by The Kenya Times, showed passengers exiting the aircraft. The surrounding area includes a perimeter fence and a clear coastal backdrop.
Passenger aircraft crashes in Somalia
Several people, including uniformed personnel and civilians, are gathered around the aircraft near an open exit door, while others walk away from the scene.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured, but preliminary reports indicate that all the passengers and five crew members have been safely evacuated.
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Starsky is one of the leading Airlines and tourism companies in Somalia, offering full-service travel and tourism to business and leisure clients.
In a follow-up statement, the Director of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), Ahmed Moallim Hassan, confirmed to State media, Somali National Television (SNTV), that all 55 people on board were safely evacuated and that the plane experienced technical difficulties shortly after takeoff.
According to Hassan, the pilot decided to return to the airport but couldn’t control the plane and veered off the runway.
“The priority was ensuring there was no post-impact fire, given the proximity to the water,” an airport official said. “We are relieved to report that everyone on board was evacuated safely.”
SCAA also confirmed the crash occurred in a coastal area just outside the airport’s western perimeter, adding all crew members and 55 passengers had survived the incident.
The authority has since launched a formal investigation into the cause of the crash. Aden Adde Airport was temporarily closed to allow emergency services to reach the shoreline, but has since resumed its usual operations.
Cargo plane crashes
The incident comes nearly a year after another fatal aviation accident involving a Kenya-registered aircraft in Somalia that claimed five lives.
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The cargo plane went down near Mogadishu on Saturday, March 22, at about 5:43 p.m. local time after completing a supply mission to African Union forces in Dhobley town, Lower Juba region.
SCAA at the time confirmed the aircraft crashed roughly 24 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu while en route back to Aden Abdulle International Airport.
The aircraft, a DHC-5D Buffalo with registration 5Y-RBA and serial number 109, was operated by Trident Aviation Ltd. Authorities reported that all five people on board died in the crash.
Preliminary findings indicated the plane had earlier developed mechanical problems while in Dhobley, though it was reportedly repaired before departure.
The incident followed another accident in January 2024, when a pilot was killed after a cargo aircraft crash-landed near El Barde Airstrip in the country’s Southwest State.
The aircraft, owned by Jetways Airlines and registered as 5Y-JWG, had been contracted by the United Nations to transport humanitarian supplies for the World Food Programme.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), the plane veered off the runway during landing, leaving one person dead and two others injured, prompting investigations by the UN, the airline, and Somali authorities.
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