When the transport cargo plane lands on the runway of Gao airport, Mali, on Saturday September 23, it is almost already too late. This Russian-made Iliouchine 76 lands far too far on the runway. He only has a short kilometer left to brake: not enough for a device of this size. Carried away by its speed, the Il-76 leaves the runway, then disappears, giving way to an explosion and a plume of black smoke. The scene is recorded by a camera, probably located on the airport control tower. The video is making the rounds on social networks.
Photos of the wreckage of the aircraft, a few days later, provide information on what it was carrying. While almost the entire Il-76 was consumed by flames, a charred vehicle is visible a few meters from the tail of the plane, still intact. It’s an armored VP11of Chinese design, staffed by the Malian armed forces.
The Malian armed forces (FAMa), which remained silent on the accident for four days, published a communicated official on Wednesday evening. “The entire nation paid, on Tuesday September 26, 2023, a well-deserved tribute to Lieutenant-Colonel Moussa Traoré who died on Saturday September 23, 2023, during ordered air service. » The soldiers take care not to establish any direct link between the death of the “seasoned mechanic” and the crash of the cargo plane in Gao. According to Agence France-Presse, which interviewed members of his family and a military official speaking on condition of anonymity, the officer was indeed on the transport plane which crushed on Saturday.
There is also the question of the presence of mercenaries from the Wagner Group, who regularly operate alongside the FAMa in this region of Mali, aboard the Il-76. Asked about this by The worlda French military source is satisfied with a ” very probable “.
An old device used by the Wagner Group?
But where did the crashed Il-76 come from? And what was he carrying? The day after the crash, on According to them, it was used by mercenaries before being transferred to the Malian air force the week before the crash. They put forward the figure of 140 people killed, “with a high number of Wagner mercenaries”.
The same day, a photo was published on a German forum for aeronautics enthusiasts, by an Internet user who created his account the same day. It is taken from the cockpit of a German A400M military cargo plane, present at runway level when the Il-76 lands. We can clearly see the Russian-designed transport plane, painted white, with the roundel of the Malian Air Force.
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