Plane carrying 12 foreign tourists crashes in Kenya
An aircraft carrying 12 people crashed shortly after takeoff in Kwale County, near Kenya’s coast, early Tuesday, killing everyone on board.
Authorities said the light aircraft was en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a top safari destination renowned for the annual wildebeest migration from Tanzania’s Serengeti.
Images published by Kenya’s Daily Nation showed the aircraft engulfed in flames with debris scattered across the crash site.
In a statement confirming the incident, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) announced that an emergency response team, including multiple government agencies, was already on the ground to investigate the cause of the crash and assess the extent of damage.
Local reports indicated that the region experienced heavy rainfall overnight, and thick fog blanketed the hilly terrain early Tuesday, potentially affecting visibility.
Makopa Sazu, a resident who rushed to the site after hearing a loud explosion, told Daily Nation that the fire was intense and there were no survivors.
Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde said all the victims were foreign tourists, and authorities would release further details once their nationalities were verified.
Investigations into the fatal crash are still ongoing.
