Aviation authority in Ethiopia has reported that what appeared to be a swarm of locusts has forced a passenger jet plane off its course in the country.
According to reports, the Ethiopian airline was on an hour-long journey when it flew through a small swarm of locust. It then encountered a bigger swarm which reduced visibility.
Flight operators also confirmed the bizarre incident. They stated that pilots were preparing to land the Ethopia Airline flight from Djibouti to Dire Dawa on Thursday when clouds of insects slammed into the plane’s engine, windshield and nose.
According to the BBC, a spokesman for the airline confirmed that the plane was diverted by the swarm of insects and later landed safely in the country’s capital Addis Ababa, but did not give further details of Thursday’s incident.
The incident comes at a time various regions of Kenya have been invaded by swarms of locust which have left a trail of devastation that is causing food security concerns in the country.. The larger-than-normal locust populations are thought to have spread from Yemen in August, wreaking havoc on local crops.
