A spinning aircraft propeller has killed a Somali police operative shortly after getting off a plane at an airport in central Somalia.
The officer, identified as Mukhtar Qasim Samay, was part of the security detail assigned to Mogadishu Police Chief Ma’alin Mahdi.
The incident took place on Tuesday at Dhusamareb Airport, where Mahdi and members of his security team had arrived ahead of the inauguration of Galmudug State’s incoming leader, Liban Ahmed Hassan.
According to Somali media reports, Samay was walking away from the aircraft when its propeller, which was still rotating, struck his head and killed him at the scene.
Footage seen by Chronicle NG showed the aircraft parked on the airport tarmac at night, with its propellers still rotating as passengers and members of the security team disembarked.
The roughly 19-second clip showed a white twin-propeller plane marked with the words STAR AIRLINES, with a portable staircase positioned at its open door.
A group of men—among them security staff in military-style uniforms and others dressed in formal and traditional attire—gathered around the aircraft as people descended the stairs.
The shaky, grainy video showed people walking around the aircraft while the propellers were still turning.
Near the end of the clip, the crowd suddenly shifted, followed by heavy camera movement and blurred frames.
The footage recorded the chaotic moments around the disembarkation but did not clearly capture the fatal impact.
Dalsan TV had reported earlier that Samay was hit on the head by the spinning propeller as he walked away from the plane after it landed.
The deceased belonged to the Somali Police Force and was said to have served in the Haramacad unit.
After his death, Mahdi Omar Mumin posted on Facebook, offering condolences to Samay’s family, friends, and colleagues in the police force.
“Innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raajicuun. I send my deepest condolences to the family, relatives, friends, and all the Somali Police Forces, the shocking death that happened to them,” Mumin wrote.
He referred to the deceased as one of the heroes of the Somali Police Force, especially the Haramacad unit.
He added, “May Allah have mercy on K/S Muqtar Qaasim Samay, who was one of the heroes of the Somali Police force, especially Haramacad.”
Mahdi had traveled to Dhusamareb before Thursday’s inauguration of Hassan, an event that is expected to draw political and security officials.
Dhusamareb serves as the administrative capital of Galmudug, one of Somalia’s federal member states.
The local media outlet Mustaqbal had reported earlier that security arrangements in the city had been strengthened ahead of the inauguration.
