The aircraft, a Fokker 50 operated by Starsky Aviation, experienced a technical issue about 15 minutes after taking off from Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport. The pilot attempted an emergency return, but the plane overshot the runway and came to rest in the shallow waters of the Indian Ocean, right along the shoreline.

​The Scene: Footage from the beach showed passengers walking away from the wreckage, with the plane sitting in the surf with a broken wing.

​The “Miracle” Factors​Pilot Skill: Starsky Aviation and local authorities have praised the pilot’s “calm decision-making” and “quick thinking,” which prevented a much more tragic outcome after the aircraft failed to stop on the tarmac.

​Rapid Response: UN and African Union (AUSSOM) troops, along with local emergency teams, were deployed immediately to assist those on board.