12 Feared Dead in Kenya Plane Crash
A light aircraft travelling from Kenya’s coastal town of Diani to the Maasai Mara National Park crashed early Tuesday, with all 12 people on board feared dead.
According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the plane was heading to Kichwa Tembo, a private airstrip in the Maasai Mara, when it went down around 5:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT).
“The aircraft had 12 persons on board,” the KCAA said in a statement, adding that government agencies were already at the crash site to determine the cause of the accident.
The latest tragedy adds to a series of aviation incidents that have occurred in Kenya over the past year and a half.
On March 5, 2024, a Safarilink Aviation commercial flight collided mid-air with a 99 Flying School training aircraft over the Nairobi National Park, killing two people. The collision occurred shortly after both aircraft departed from Wilson Airport.
In August, six people were killed when an AMREF Flying Doctors light aircraft crashed into a residential area in Mwihoko, Ruiru, Kiambu County. The Cessna Citation XLS, which had taken off from Wilson Airport en route to Hargeisa, Somalia, went down under unclear circumstances.
AMREF Flying Doctors CEO, Stephen Gitau, confirmed the incident and said the organisation was cooperating with aviation authorities and emergency response teams to uncover the cause.
Earlier in January, a foreign couple lost their lives in another light aircraft crash involving a Cessna 185 that went down in Naivasha. The plane, which had departed from Nairobi for Mbaruk in Nakuru County, crashed around 5:14 p.m. local time.
Naivasha Police Deputy Chief, Charles Mwai, said poor visibility caused by heavy fog might have contributed to the accident, adding that aviation experts had been deployed to investigate.
AP
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
