A Daallo Airlines flight traveling from Somalia to Djibouti in East Africa landed after an explosion tore a gaping hole in the Airbus A321 jet. Two were reportedly injured, though local eyewitness reports say that a “severely burnt body” was spotted falling from the sky.
The plane suffered the incident five minutes after takeoff, according to the Mirror. As of this moment, it’s unclear whether the explosion was the result of terrorism, or from some other cause. Daallo Airlines has a history of terrorism-related incidents, including one in which man who was arrested trying board an aircraft with potentially explosive chemicals and a syringe, and a hijack attempt in 2009.
More as we have it.
UPDATE: Two Swedish soldiers were on the plane, and were apparently very scared, as you would be, according to the Swedish defense ministry (and Google Translate):
A passenger aircraft, including two Swedish soldiers on board was forced to make an emergency landing this morning at Mogadishu International Airport after an explosion caused a hole in the fuselage. The two Swedish soldiers are traumatized by the incident but unharmed.
Passenger aircraft would fly to Djibouti and had 180 passengers on board, including two soldiers from the Swedish EU mission (EUTM) in Somalia. Shortly after starting something exploded in the plane and caused a hole in the fuselage and the plane had to turn around and make an emergency landing at the airport in Mogadishu.
The Swedes have survived unscathed although of course they are scared. The soldiers seized by its own staff and has undergone medical examinations in the international camp in Mogadishu. They both have been able to call home to talk to their relatives.
What caused the explosion is unclear.
Contact the author at ballaban@jalopnik.com.
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