Humanitarian Plane Heading to Kenya Shot Down

Kenya’s foreign ministry has called for a swift investigation after a humanitarian plane helping the fight against the coronavirus crashed in Somalia in “unclear” circumstances, killing all six people on board. The Kenyan private cargo plane was undertaking a humanitarian mission related to pandemic when it crashed on Monday afternoon in Bardale district in southern Somalia, about 300km (180 miles) northwest of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, the ministry said on Tuesday. In a statement, Somalia’s transport and civil aviation ministry expressed its “deep regret” over the crash and said the government was conducting a “thorough investigation”. It said the Embraer 120 twin-turboprop was operated by African Express, which has its headquarters in Kenya’s Nairobi. A projectile fired from the ground hit the plane as it approached the airstrip, Ahmed Isaq, a South West State regional administration official, told The Associated Press news agency. The crash comes amid strained ties between Kenya and Somalia.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA