Three dead after UPDF helicopter crashes in Ntoroko
UPDF soldiers gather around a military helicopter that crashed in Kabarole District on January 2, 2023. PHOTO/ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- The incident occurred in Nyamisingiri Village in Kichwamba Sub-County, just a few meters away from the border of Kabarole and Ntoroko districts.
- Many arriving soldiers found wreckage of the burning aircraft which was reduced to ashes.
At least three people have been confirmed dead after a military helicopter gunship crashed in the general areas of Karugutu-Ntoroko District on Tuesday, authorities said.
The deceased are soldiers and one civilian whose house was crashed by the helicopter belonging to the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), which was headed to neighbouring DR Congo in relation to the Operation Shuuja against ADF militants.
"It's true the UPDF helicopter crashed today. The helicopter had two occupants, and they all died heroes as they participated in the struggle to pacify our Western frontier of the dreadful ADF terrorists,” UPDF spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulaigye said.
Brig Gen Kulayigye further attributed the tragedy to “bad weather,” emphasizing that “the crash was in a mountainous area.”
The incident occurred in Nyamisingiri Village in Kichwamba Sub-County, just a few meters away from the border of Kabarole and Ntoroko districts.
Eyewitness Nyamisingiri Village resident Alfred Mugume recounted the sequence of events he observed from his residence, telling Monitor he saw two helicopters following one another enroute DR Congo.
“Within minutes, I heard a very loud sound accompanied by smoke in the air. When I came closer to the scene, I found that the helicopter had crashed, but I could not see because the house was on top of the hill.”
He added: “I saw the body of the homeowner in the middle of the compound, and later- the second body of the soldier in the house."
Many arriving soldiers found wreckage of the burning aircraft which was reduced to ashes.
"Together with soldiers, we proceeded to the scene when the smoke reduced. We found another body of a soldier," Mugume narrated.
A residential house is seen after a UPDF helicopter crashed its rooftop, killing three people in Kabarole District in January 2, 2023. PHOTO/ALEX ASHABA
Thousands of locals gathered on the directly opposite hills to observe from a distance, but UPDF soldiers later dispersed them.
Notably, this is not the first time a UPDF helicopter has crashed in Kabarole District. In September 2022, a Mi-24 helicopter, carrying two individuals, crashed near Ssaka Airfield.
The crash of the helicopter, which was also en route to DR Congo where UPDF launched a joint operation with Congolese forces against ADF rebels, was attributed to a technical fault in the wiring system.
The crash destroyed a house and banana plantation owned by Peruth Kabarwani, who survived.
