Cargo plane with aid crashes in Somalia

NAIROBI, Kenya — A cargo plane carrying humanitarian food aid crashed at an airport in central Somalia but the crew members survived, officials said Tuesday.

Somalia officials said the plane that crashed in Beledweyne was with the United Nations, but a US Embassy statement in the evening expressed regret for the loss of the food and the plane.

The statement said the flight was part of an effort to provide food aid from neighboring Djibouti, and it thanked the US Embassy in that country for providing logistical support.

Sabrie Ahmed with the local administration in Beledweyne town told The Associated Press that the plane veered off the runway and crashed onto its belly. It was not clear what caused the plane to lose control.