By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
A light aircraft carrying Hungarian and German tourists crashed in Kenya on Tuesday morning, killing all 11 people on board, authorities have confirmed.
The aircraft, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was en route from Diani, a popular coastal resort area, to Kichwa Tembo in the Maasai Mara National Reserve when it went down at Tsimba Golini in Kwale County, near the Indian Ocean coast.
According to the airline, the plane was carrying ten passengers, out of which eight were Hungarians, and two Germans, alongside a Kenyan pilot.
“Sadly, there are no survivors,” Mombasa Air Safari said in a statement.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that the crash occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time. Security and emergency teams have since been deployed to the crash site to recover remains and secure the area.
A regional police commander told the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) that all the passengers were tourists. Local broadcaster Citizen TV reported that the bodies of the victims were burned beyond recognition following the impact and ensuing fire.
Photographs from the scene showed security officials examining the wreckage of the 5Y-CCA aircraft, scattered across a forested area.
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, but investigations by aviation authorities are underway.
The tragic accident adds to a series of small-plane crashes that have occurred in Kenya in recent years, despite ongoing efforts to strengthen aviation safety standards.
