Dozen killed in tourist plane crash in Kenya (VIDEO/PHOTOS)
An aircraft bound for Maasai Mara went down shortly after takeoff, killing all on board
Twelve people have been killed after a light aircraft carrying tourists to Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve crashed early on Tuesday, local authorities have reported.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) identified the aircraft being operated by Mombasa Air Safari. It departed from Diani Airstrip around 8 a.m. and was expected to arrive at Kichwa Tembo in the Maasai Mara an hour later. The plane went down in a remote forested area roughly 40km from Diani.
The Maasai Mara, one of the world’s most renowned safari destinations and a highlight during the annual wildebeest migration, is accessible by multiple daily flights operated by small aircraft linking Nairobi and, seasonally, Kenyan coastal resorts such as Diani and Mombasa.
“The aircraft had 12 persons on board. Government agencies are already on site to establish the cause of the accident and its impact,” the KCAA said in a statement on X.
Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told the Associated Press that all the victims were foreign nationals, although their identities have yet to be confirmed.
Mombasa Air Safari expressed profound sorrow over the incident, and reported on Facebook that according to preliminary information there had been 11 people on board the aircraft: eight Hungarian passengers, two German passengers, and a Kenyan crew member who served as the captain, The company operates domestic charter flights to major tourist destinations across Kenya.
Images published by local media showed the wreckage engulfed in flames, with debris scattered across charred terrain. Witnesses described hearing a loud explosion before rushing to the site, where the aircraft was destroyed on impact, according to local news agencies.
The crash comes after a Kenya Air Force plane went down in the same county in June, killing two service members. In August, a small plane carrying medical staff, operated by AMREF Flying Doctors, crashed shortly after takeoff from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. Six people were killed, including four on board and two on the ground.