Twelve Feared Dead After Small Plane Crashes In Kenya’s Kwale County

A small aircraft crashed early Tuesday in Kenya’s coastal county of Kwale while travelling from Diani to Kichwa Tembo near the Maasai Mara National Reserve, with 12 people feared dead, officials said.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed in a statement that 12 people were on board and that government agencies were at the scene to investigate the cause and impact of the crash.

The plane went down in a hilly, forested area about 40 kilometres from Diani airstrip, authorities said. Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told Associated Press that rescue and recovery operations were under way and that further details would be released once investigations progress.

According to Associated Press, the aircraft was headed to one of Kenya’s leading tourist destinations, the Maasai Mara National Reserve, known for hosting the annual wildebeest migration from Tanzania’s Serengeti.

Officials said investigations were continuing to determine what led to the accident.

(With inputs from AP)