A United Nations helicopter carrying nine passengers was captured in Somalia on Wednesday by the terrorist group Al Shabab after making an emergency landing in an area controlled by the group, two Somali officials said.
Six of the passengers were captured, while two escaped and one was killed, according to the two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
There were foreigners among the passengers, one of the officials said, though their nationalities were not known.
The helicopter, which was attached to the United Nations Support Office in Somalia, landed in the Galgaduud region in central Somalia on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear why the helicopter had to land.
The fates of the two passengers who fled were still unknown, one of the officials said.
The U.N. Support Office in Somalia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The office provides logistical support to the over 19,000-member peacekeeping forces with the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia.
That support includes ferrying food and fuel, providing land and air transportation as well as casualty evacuations.
