Light plane crashes near UAE Grand Mosque, pilot hurt

This picture taken on July 9, 2022, shows a general view of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on the day first day of Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice celebrated by Muslims worldwide. AFP

DUBAI — A light aircraft has crashed in the carpark of Abu Dhabi’s Grand Mosque injuring the pilot, officials said on Monday, blaming a technical malfunction.

The Cessna single-engine plane was approaching an exclusive airport for private jets in the UAE capital’s centre when it came down near the white marble landmark, the country’s biggest mosque.

“As a result of the accident, the pilot was injured and rushed to the hospital for necessary treatment and monitoring,” the General Civil Aviation Authority said, according to the official WAM news agency.

“Preliminary investigations showed that the accident was caused by a technical malfunction” while the plane was coming in to land, the GCAA added.

Abu Dhabi was on high alert in January after a series of missile and drone attacks by rebels in Yemen. The UAE is a member of the coalition fighting the Iran-backed insurgents.

Three oil workers were killed in an attack on January 17 — the first deadly assault in the UAE claimed by the Huthi rebels — before two similar attempts were thwarted in consecutive weeks.

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