Burning man 'sucked out of plane'

04 February 2016 - 02:45 By © The Daily Telegraph

A burning man was reportedly sucked out of a hole in a plane apparently caused by a bomb, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Tuesday. An explosion and fire blew a gaping hole in the commercial airliner, with the pilot later saying he thought it was a bomb.An aviation expert who looked at photographs of the hole in the fuselage said the damage was consistent with an explosive device.There were reports that an unidentified elderly man, engulfed in flames, was sucked out of the hole in the fuselage.Witnesses on the ground reported seeing his charred body fall to earth.Mohamed Hassan, a police officer in the town of Balad, 28km north of Mogadishu, said residents had found the body of an old man.Somali aviation official Ali Mohamoud said only two people were slightly injured as 74 passengers and crew of the plane were evacuated after the plane made a safe landing. Local radio reported the plane was on fire when it landed.It was not certain if all the passengers were accounted for.The plane, operated by Daallo Airlines and headed to Djibouti, was forced to land minutes after taking off from the Mogadishu airport, said Mohamoud."I think it was a bomb," said the Serbian pilot, Vladimir Vodopivec. "Luckily, the flight controls were not damaged so I could return and land at the airport."AFP reports that Mogadishu airport is heavily fortified and adjoins the capital's main base of the African Union mission to Somalia, the 22000-strong force backing the government in the battle against al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab insurgents. ..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.