Passenger plane makes emergency water landing in Somalia (PHOTO/VIDEO)

All 55 passengers and crew have evacuated safely after a technical issue forced the aircraft to terminate the flight

A plane attempting to return to Mogadishu’s airport carrying 55 people veered off the runway and had to make an emergency water landing on Tuesday.

The Starsky Aviation passenger aircraft had taken off from Aden Abdulle International Airport, bound for the northern city of Gaalkacyo, when it developed a technical problem about 15 minutes into the flight. The pilot attempted to return to Mogadishu for an emergency landing, but the aircraft overshot the runway and landed in the ocean, near the shore.

All 50 passengers and five crew members were able to evacuate the aircraft safely, and no injuries were reported, officials said.

Ambassador Mouktar Osman Karie, acting head of mission for the African Union’s mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), joined senior officials at the scene to help rescue teams evacuate passengers safely. Transport Minister Mohamed Farah Nuux was also present.

The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) reported that only the aircraft was damaged. “All occupants survived the incident and were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation and care. No fatalities have been reported,” the officials stated.  According to the SCAA, the cause of the incident will be investigated.

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Video and photos from the scene showed the Fokker 50 with significant wing damage but otherwise intact on the shoreline near the airport.

“Thank God no one was injured in the accident, and the flight crew did their job best,” Starsky Aviation CEO Ahmed Nur said on Facebook.

There have been similar emergencies where skilled pilots were able to prevent disaster. In September 2023, Ural Airlines Flight 1383, an Airbus A320 flying in Russia, made an emergency landing in a wheat field near Novosibirsk after developing a hydraulic problem. All 165 on board survived without serious injuries. 

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In August 2019, a Ural Airlines Airbus A321 flying from Moscow to Simferopol made an emergency landing in a field after striking a flock of birds that caused both engines to fail. More than 230 people were on board, and all survived.