BBC Photo: The Plane’s crash site

Source: BBC

DST News: A tragic plane crash near Kenya’s southern coast has claimed the lives of 10 European tourists and one Kenyan pilot, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The small aircraft, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was en route from the seaside resort town of Diani to Kichwa Tembo airstrip in the Maasai Mara — a world-renowned safari destination — when it crashed at around 5:30 a.m. local time (02:30 GMT), according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

The airline said the victims included eight Hungarians, two Germans, and the Kenyan pilot. “Our immediate priority is to support the families affected by this tragic incident,” Mombasa Air Safari said in a statement.

Local reports showed images of the burning wreckage, with pieces of debris scattered across the crash site.

According to Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde, the aircraft went down about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Kwale town shortly after takeoff. “All the passengers were tourists,” Orinde told the BBC.

He added that while the cause of the crash was still under investigation, poor weather conditions may have played a role. “It’s been raining heavily and visibility has been low since early morning,” he said, cautioning against drawing premature conclusions.

This latest tragedy follows a similar aviation accident in August, when a plane belonging to the medical charity Amref crashed on the outskirts of Nairobi, killing six people and injuring two others.

Authorities say a full investigation is underway to determine what led to the fatal crash in Kwale County, as Kenya mourns the loss of yet another air disaster involving tourists.