Dramatic aerial footage of the attack on the Mozambican town of Palma by Islamic militants has been screened by Britain’s Sky News.
Dozens of people were killed in the rampage through the town.
The video was shot from a helicopter that was scrambling to ferry people away from the carnage as survivors were being hunted down by insurgents.
Mozambican security forces have retaken the town but reports indicate that the bodies of people killed after being pulled from cars and lorries are littered across the town.
The insurgency has been running since 2017 by a group that is affiliated with the Islamic State.
The footage shows terrified civilians running for cover. Groups of people can be seen next to messages of “Help” and “SOS” made out of stones and sheets and written on the ground.
The helicopters belonged to the Dyck Advisory Group, a private armed contractor hired by the Mozambican government. They were landing and attempting to rescue survivors.
The helicopters could only take a few people at a time, and so each rescue mission involved multiple trips, under fire.
Cars were overturned and broken on the main road to the town’s beach. They had been part of an escape attempt by a convoy from the Amarula Lodge hotel, popular with expatriates, but were ambushed on the road.
Among those killed in the ambush was South African Adrian Nel, a construction worker who tried to flee with his younger brother and father who survived the attack.
YouTube Video – Sky News
