Five dead as Ugandan military helicopter crashes in Somalia

A Ugandan military helicopter deployed with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at Mogadishu airport on Wednesday, killing five passengers, a Ugandan military spokesperson said.

Another three of the helicopter's eight occupants survived the incident but with severe injuries and burns, said the spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye.

The impact of the crash had caused munitions on board to detonate, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians, he said.

The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said in a statement earlier that "search and rescue operations are currently underway to retrieve the remaining crew and passengers".

The helicopter crash-landed at Mogadishu's international airport just before touching down, AUSSOM said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Somalia's state-run SONNA news outlet reported that the helicopter was engulfed in flames after crashing.

"We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter," Farah Abdulle, who works at the airport, told Reuters. "The smoke entirely covered the helicopter."

AUSSOM has more than 11,000 personnel in Somalia to help the country's military tackle Islamist group al Shabaab.

The al Qaeda affiliated group has been fighting for nearly two decades to topple Somalia's internationally recognised government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Sharia law.