By An aircraft carrying 12 people crashed just minutes after takeoff from Diani airstrip in Kenya’s coastal Kwale region early Tuesday, bursting into flames and leaving all onboard feared dead, authorities confirmed.
According to CNN, officials said the Cessna Caravan-type plane, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve when it went down in a “hilly and forested area about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Diani airstrip.”
Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told the Associated Press that all the passengers were “foreign tourists,” adding that their nationalities would be confirmed later.
In a statement, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said, “Twelve people were onboard the Cessna Caravan-type aircraft,” and investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash.
Authorities added that details of the passengers and crew would be released after further verification.
Witnesses reported hearing a “loud bang” shortly after the plane took off. Upon rushing to the scene, they found the wreckage engulfed in flames with “unrecognizable human remains.”
The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said it was working closely with aviation authorities and that “updates on the crash would be shared through the authority.”
The ill-fated flight was heading to the world-renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve, a major tourist attraction famous for its annual wildebeest migration from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains.
