UN Plane Crashes In Mali , Injures 11

A United Nations Antonov An-72 plane careened off the runway while touching down in the northern Malian city of Gao on Monday, the international organisation said, injuring 11 people.

In a statement, the UN said that four of its officials and seven crew members were on board the plane which took off from the capital Bamako early on Monday.

One member of the crew had been seriously injured, while ten others were hurt.The plane was involved in a mission in Mali on behalf of the United Nations. It is unclear what led to the crash. However, the images from the incident show a lot of water around the aircraft, suggesting a possible landing during or after a rainstorm

“An investigation will be ordered as soon as possible to determine the cause of this incident,” the statement said.

According to Abdoulaye Maiga, a witness to the accident who works for an airport-security company, the plane had to make an emergency landing, at which point it “left the runway”.

Also reports from Maliweb.net indicate that the aircraft was involved in a runway excursion after landing. The report also stated that an official from the airport suggested that another plane had a safe arrival in Gao despite the rain.

source: AFP/simpleflying.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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