IN a miraculous escape, all 55 passengers and crew aboard a StarSky Fokker 50 walked away unharmed after the plane overran the runway at Mogadishu International Airport, hurtled over a cliff, and crashed onto the shoreline Tuesday afternoon.
The aircraft, operated by the local carrier StarSky, had departed Mogadishu earlier in the day bound for Galkayo in central Somalia. Shortly after takeoff, the pilots reported technical issues, prompting an immediate return and clearance for an emergency landing, according to airport officials and aviation sources.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as the plane touched down amid high tension. “It was like something out of a movie,” said one airport worker who watched from the tarmac. “The plane hit the runway hard, couldn’t stop, and just went straight over the edge into the sea below.”
Video footage circulating on social media showed the aircraft skidding beyond the runway’s end before dropping approximately 20 meters onto the rocky shoreline, its fuselage intact but battered by the impact. Rescue teams rushed to the site, pulling passengers from the wreckage within minutes. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported, with most aboard treated for minor cuts, bruises, and shock.
Somali Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Ahmed Hussein confirmed the all-safe outcome: “This is a testament to the skill of the crew and the resilience of our people. An investigation into the technical fault and landing sequence is underway.”
The incident marks a rare positive note for aviation safety in Somalia, where ageing fleets and infrastructure challenges have plagued carriers like StarSky. The Fokker 50, a twin-engine turboprop built in the 1990s, was grounded pending inspection.
Airport operations resumed limited flights shortly after, but the event rattled travellers and highlighted ongoing risks at the facility, which sits perilously close to the Indian Ocean coastline.
