A light aircraft carrying foreign tourists from Hungary and Germany crashed in Kenya on Tuesday, killing the 11 people on board.
The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said the plane was carrying 10 passengers: eight Hungarians and two Germans. The captain was Kenyan.
‘Sadly, there are no survivors,’ Mombasa Air Safari said in a statement.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the accident happened at Kwale, near the Indian Ocean coast, at about 0830 local time (0530 GMT).
A regional police commander, in comments aired by public broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said all the passengers were tourists.
Citizen TV station said the bodies of those on board had been burned beyond recognition.
The aviation authority said the aircraft was travelling from Diani, on the coast, to Kichwa Tembo in Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve.
The airline’s statement added: ‘Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected.’
Stephen Orinde, Kwale County Commissioner, told the BBC that the investigation into the crash was being hindered by bad weather.
A light aircraft carrying tourists to a game reserve has crashed in Kenya, killing 11 people on board
Government agencies have been spotted at the scene as investigators begin to piece together the circumstances of the crash
He said: ‘The weather is not very good here at the moment. Since early in the morning, it is raining and it is very misty, but we cannot preempt [the findings].’
It has been speculated in local media that poor visibility and the bad weather may have contributed to the crash.
The plane reportedly crashed just minutes after takeoff and burst into flames. Witnesses told AP that they heard a loud bang.
They said they found unrecognisable human remains when they went to investigate the source of the sound.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene with forensic teams to piece together the circumstances of the crash.
Footage shared online shows the aircraft in flames with debris scattered on a dirt path. Other videos show emergency workers on a rescue mission.
Over the last few days, Kenya’s Meteorological Department has been warning of a storm identified as Chenge. It was predicted to come with heavy rainfall and strong winds.
This is a breaking news story with more to follow
