12 feared dead as plane crashes in Kenya

A tragic air accident occurred in Kenya early Tuesday morning when a small aircraft traveling from the country’s coastal region to the Maasai Mara National Park crashed, leaving all 12 people on board feared dead, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

The ill-fated plane departed from Diani, a well-known tourist destination on Kenya’s southern coast, and was en route to the Kichwa Tembo airstrip, a private landing site within the Maasai Mara wildlife reserve.

KCAA officials reported that the aircraft went down around 5:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT) under yet-to-be-determined circumstances.

“The aircraft had 12 persons on board,” a statement from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

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

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