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A small aircraft has crashed near Kenya’s coast, killing ten European tourists and a local pilot, officials have confirmed.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the plane, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was flying from the popular Diani Beach resort to the Maasai Mara game reserve when it went down at around 05:30 local time (02:30 GMT).
The airline said the passengers included eight Hungarians, two Germans, and a Kenyan pilot — all of whom died in the crash.
“Our primary focus right now is on providing every possible support to the families affected,” Mombasa Air Safari said in a statement.
Images shared by local media showed the wreckage engulfed in flames, with debris scattered across the crash site.
Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told the media that the plane came down about 10km (six miles) from Kwale town shortly after takeoff from Diani.
“It was on its way to Kichwa Tembo airstrip in Maasai Mara, and all the passengers were tourists,” Orinde said.
He added that investigations were underway to determine the cause of the crash, though poor weather may have played a role. “It’s been raining since early morning and visibility has been very low, but we cannot preempt the findings,” he noted.
In August, a light aircraft operated by the medical charity Amref crashed near Nairobi, killing six people and injuring two others.
