KAMPALA: Uganda Police has finally confirmed the death of one of its senior officer in the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft that crashed on Sunday in Ethiopia
Following the disaster in which all the 157 people including the crew died, reports started circulating on social media that Commissioner of Police, Christine Alalo working with AMISOM police had died but the force’s Chief Political Commissar, AIGP Asan Kasingye refuted the claims.
“This officer is safe. She wasn’t on the plane. She flew Turkish. This is information I am getting from our officers in Mogadishu. She had travelled to Italy with Turkish Airlines,”Kasingye said on Sunday.
However, on Monday afternoon, following an emergency meeting at the police headquarters, the force confirmed Alalo’s death.
She was returning from a course in Italy and was flying back to Mogadishu.
“The police are mourning the tragic outcome of yesterday’s plane crash upon learning that it claimed the life of Commissioner of Police, Christine Alalo who was working with AMISOM as the acting Police Commissioner, “police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said in a statement.
Police described the deceased who joined the force as a cadet in 2001 as a dedicated officer who also loved her job.
“She was a highly respected member of the force who loved her job and died while on duty .She ably carried the image of the force and the country to greater heights and will be sadly missed.”
The police said by the time of her death, Commissioner of Police, Christine Alalo was left with only six months to end her tour of duty in Somalia.
“We shall progressively update the public on funeral arrangements,” Enanga said.
Ethiopian Airlines on Monday announced recovering the black box to the ill-fated aircraft.
“The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of ET302 have been recovered,” the airline posted on its social media pages.
The digital flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder will be crucial items to be used in investigations into the circumstances under which the plane crashed.