US plane drops into Mali

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:55
A US aircraft which was in trouble made a "difficult landing" in Mali, causing slight injuries among some people aboard, the US embassy in the west African country said on Friday.

"An aircraft made a difficult landing yesterday (Thursday) at around 100 kilometres from Bamako. The plane was carrying six passengers and three crew members. Cases of slight injury were reported," the embassy said in a statement.

"The Malian air force immediately sent its aircraft to help find the plane in difficulty and to coordinate the ground movements of rescue teams and ambulances with medical personnel," the statement added.

According to a source close to the Malian army, the US plane "came from a neighbouring country.

"It had serious problems near a place called Kolokani. It was in Mali for reasons related to security and it made more than one forced landing," the source added.

Neither the kind of plane nor its mission in Mali were disclosed.

But the United States is among western countries helping Mali in its fight against al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which originated in Algeria and is active in several southern Sahara countries.

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Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-200
Registration: probably N354PH or N355PH