Somalia: Plane makes emergency "belly" landing at Mogadishu airport

MOGADISHU, Somalia – A cargo plane has made an emergency belly landing at Mogadishu airport on Wednesday after the landing gear failed to deploy, Garowe Online reports.

“The pilot managed to safely land the aircraft on its belly after its landing gear collapsed,” said an official with Somali Civil Aviation Authority, who spoke to Garowe Online via phone on condition of anonymity.

Firefighters were standing by as the plane approached the runway.

The failed landing had an impact on the operations of the airport’s main runway, but no casualties were reported.

“The airport is up and running," added the official.

Footage shared on social media showed the plane tilting to one side as it approached the runway.

As the plane touched down, sparks appeared from under it.

It's unclear which company is operating the plane and the airport authorities have not yet commented on the incident, which momentarily halted the runway operations.

GAROWE ONLINE