Somali airliner lands upside down before catching fire

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – A Somali passenger plane landed upside down before catching fire at an airport in the capital Mogadishu on Monday, and all people on board were saved, said an official.

A civilian airliner with 36 passengers crash-landed at Aden Adde International Airport, an official from Somalia's Civil Aviation Authority told Anadolu Agency over the phone, requesting anonymity as he is not authorized to talk to the media.

According to local media, the plane was flying quite low before touching down on the airport landing strip, and it managed to land upside down before catching fire, destroying most of the aircraft.

All the passengers were safe although some of them sustained minor injuries, the official said.

"The plane carrying 36 civilian passengers that departed from the Baidoa town early Monday crashed and all passengers survived, however, several passengers had minor injuries," he said.

It was a local flight from Baidoa to Mogadishu, Somali National TV reported, citing officials at the airport.

Civil aviation officials say an inquiry into the incident has been launched.