Tourist Plane Crash In Kenya Kills 11 Persons
Ten European tourists and a local pilot were killed in a plane crash near Kenya’s coast, according to officials.
According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the plane crashed around 5:30 local time (02:30 GMT) while travelling from the well-known beach resort of Diani to an airstrip in the renowned Maasai Mara game area.
Eight Hungarians, two Germans, and a Kenyan pilot were all killed in the disaster, according to Mombasa Air Safari.
“Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected,” it added in a statement.
Images of the plane in flames with debris strewn at the accident site have been released by local media.
The plane crashed approximately 10 kilometres (six miles) from Kwale town after taking off from Diani, the Kwale County Commissioner, Stephen Orinde, told the BBC.
It was en route to Kichwa Tembo, a Maasai Mara airstrip that attracts tourists due of its animals.
“The passengers were all tourists,” Orinde said.
He stated that the crash’s cause was still under investigation, though he speculated that inclement weather might have played a role.
“At the moment, the weather is not great here. We are unable to avoid [the findings] because it is raining and quite hazy since early in the morning,” Orinde stated.
In August, a light aircraft belonging to the medical charity Amref crashed on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, killing six people and injuring two others.