11 dead in Kenya light aircraft crash

A small plane travelling from Kenya's coast has crashed, killing all 11 people on board, most of them foreigners, the airline said. Photo / Mwajabe Omar, AFP

A small plane travelling from Kenya’s coast has crashed, killing all 11 people on board, most of them foreigners, the airline said.

The small plane was en route to Kichwa Tembo – an airstrip located in the Maasai Mara National Park – from the tourist hotspot of Diani when it came down at around 5.30am local time.

Mombasa Air Safari chairman John Cleave confirmed the accident, and said there were 10 passengers – eight Hungarians, two Germans – and a Kenyan captain.

“Sadly, there are no survivors,” he said in a statement, citing preliminary information, adding that they had “activated our emergency response team” and were co-operating with local authorities.

“Our hearts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragic event,” the statement said.

An earlier statement from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the aircraft had been carrying 12 people at the time of the crash.

The KCAA gave no further details, but said that government agencies were already on site to establish the cause of the accident.

Photographs and videos shared by local media showed the charred remains of the aircraft in the middle of dense forest and scrub.

In clips, officials and soldiers inspected the few still identifiable items in the orange soil as rain poured down.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his “sincere condolences” to the families of those involved in the crash.

He added, in a statement, that his government was in touch with the Kenyan authorities over the “tragedy”.

In August, a light aircraft belonging to the medical NGO Amref crashed on the outskirts of capital Nairobi, killing six and injuring two more.

-Agence France-Presse