Onboard Jubba/Daalo Airlines this morning while it was on air for a few minutes we just heard a loud noise and couldn't see anything but smoke for a few seconds, when visibility returned we realised quite a chunk of the plain missing.
my destination was Djibouti where I was to attend the Conference of the Directors of Diplomatic Academies of IGAD Ministries of Foreign Affairs, but it seems our attendance was not meant to be, but Alhamdulilah we are safe and back in Mogadishu
Did bomb go off on packed airliner? Shocking picture shows gaping hole in side of aircraft after passengers hear 'loud explosion'
Daallo Airlines Flight D3159 was en route to Djibouti from Somalia
But five minutes after take-off, pilot realised there was a fire near engine
Huge hole left in side of the aircraft caused by flames breaking out
'Severely burnt body fell from unidentified aircraft,' local media reported
At least two people were reported injured in an explosion aboard Daallo Airlines Airbus A321 flight in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
There were conflicting reports about whether flight D3159 made an emergency landing or failed to take off from the Mogadishu International Airport en route to Djibouti. Reports from VOA Somali and AirLive.net indicated a possible fire on board and photos showed a blown out section of the plane next to a passenger window near the wing.
Based on photos, it appeared that any fire or explosion was contained on the airport's tarmac. The condition of the injured passengers is unknown, but no fatalities have been reported
Officials have not yet provided any details to explain what might have caused the blast. Dallo is a Somali-owned airline based in Dubai with a hub in Djibouti.
Foreign vehicles and convoys traveling along the road between Mogadishu and the international airport, which is also near the United Nations compound, are often targeted by militant attacks.
The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab has ramped up activities since the start of 2016. In January, five gunmen from the group attacked a popular beachfront restaurant, killing 17 people. The fighters also set off two car bombs nearby.
The beach violence came just days after al Shabaab carried out an assault on a Kenyan military base, reportedly killing at least 100 soldiers and kidnapping others. The Kenyan soldiers make up a large contingent of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM
