Bodies of Kenyans killed in Somalia plane crash to be flown home

[Deeq A.]

Bodies of the four Kenyans who died in a plane crash in Somalia will be brought home on Thursday (today) evening.

The private aircraft went down after being hit twice by Ethiopian forces rocket-propelled grenades in Bardale area in Baidoa on Monday, killing six people, four Kenyans and two Somalis.

The cargo aircraft registered in Kenya as 5Y-AXO was reportedly shot down by a rocket missile while operating a domestic flight between Mogadishu and Baidoa, in Somalia.

The plane, which belonged to the African Express Airways, is reported to have crashed around 3:30pm local time, killing all six people on board.

The plane was delivering supplies related to the coronavirus pandemic and had initially left the Somali capital Mogadishu for Bardale.

INVESTIGATIONS

It was delivering medical supplies and mosquito nets to Bardale, Somalia at the time of the incident.

Somali and Kenyan officials have agreed to investigate the crash jointly, an incident many thought could further escalate political tensions between the two countries.

Members of the Somali militant group Al Shabaab remain active in southern Somalia. although Bardale and its airstrip are secure.

The regions are under the protection of Somali forces and Ethiopian troops who are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission based in Somalia.

Nairobi News

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