According to the interior minister of the region, there were six foreign passengers and one Somali citizen in the helicopter. One who tried to escape was killed.
The Somali Islamic organization al-Shabaab has captured several passengers who were transported by a UN helicopter that had to make an emergency landing in the Galmudug region in the central parts of Somalia. The Guardian magazine says al-Shabaab fighters killed one of the passengers and took five passengers hostage.
The interior minister of Galmudug, located in the central part of Somalia Mohamed Abdi Aden Gaboobe says that there were six foreign passengers and one Somali citizen in the helicopter. According to him, al-Shabaab fighters shot one of the passengers when he tried to escape. In addition, one of the passengers is missing.
According to information from the Reuters news agency, there were two wounded Somali men and several foreigners on board the helicopter. There is no information about the nationalities of foreign passengers.
On the other hand, the AP news agency says, referring to its sources, that there were both soldiers and medical professionals among the passengers.
The helicopter was performing an evacuation flight when it had to make an emergency landing due to mechanical problems. The helicopter also transported medical supplies.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirm what happened. He said that in order to guarantee the safety of those on the plane, he would not give any other details about the matter, but said that the UN is working to resolve the situation.
The Galmudug region is controlled by al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization linked to al-Qaeda.
Reuters, AP
The news is updated.