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Ugandan helicopter wrecks found in Kenya | Ugandan helicopter wrecks found in Kenya |
(40 minutes later) | |
The wreckage of two Ugandan helicopters that went missing on Sunday has been found in a remote area of Kenya, a Kenyan army spokesman has said. | |
The fate of those on board - believed to be 14 people - is unknown, Col Cyrus Oguna said. | |
Both aircraft were part of a contingent being sent to reinforce the African Union (AU) force in Somalia. | |
A third helicopter on the same mission made an emergency landing in Mount Kenya on Sunday. | |
Its passengers have been rescued, Col Oguna said. | |
Only one of the four Russian-made helicopters en route to Somalia had made a scheduled refuelling stop on Sunday in the Kenyan town of Garissa. | |
'Completely destroyed' | |
The wreckage of the two missing helicopters was spotted on Mount Kenya - Africa's second-highest peak at 5,199 metres (17,057 feet) - by wildlife officers, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports. | |
A Kenyan army team is on the way to the site of the crash, Col Oguna told the BBC. | |
One helicopter has been completely destroyed and the other partially, he said. | |
The combat helicopters came down as they were flying from Uganda to Somalia to take part in an AU-led offensive to capture the port city of Kismayo from the militant Islamist group al-Shabab, correspondents say. | |
Ugandan troops form the bulk of the nearly 17,000-strong AU force in Somalia, where they are supporting the UN-backed government. | |
Although it has lost ground in the past year, al-Shabab, which has joined al-Qaeda, still controls many southern and central areas. |