KWALE, Kenya – At least 12 people died on Tuesday morning after a light aircraft crashed shortly after take-off in the Tsimba Golini area of Kwale County.
The Cessna Caravan aircraft had departed from Diani Airport and was en route to Kichwa Tembo, a popular safari destination in the Maasai Mara, when it went down, according to police.
The victims are believed to be tourists, though their nationalities had not been confirmed by press time.
Emergency responders and security teams rushed to the site of the crash, about 20 kilometres from Diani, but there were no survivors.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed the incident, saying the aircraft, registration 5Y-CCA, crashed at around 5:30am.
“The aircraft had 12 persons on board. Government agencies are already on site to establish the cause of the accident and its impact,” KCAA Director General Emile Arao said in a statement.
The cause of the crash remains unclear, and aviation investigators have begun collecting debris and flight data to determine what went wrong.
The aircraft is operated on routes linking Mombasa to major tourist circuits, including the Maasai Mara.
The crash comes at the height of the high tourism season when chartered flights ferry holidaymakers to safari lodges across the country.
Local residents said they heard a loud bang and saw smoke rising from the crash site before authorities arrived.
More updates are expected as identification and notification of next of kin continues.
