5 people killed as light plane crashes in NW Kenya

Five people were killed when a light aircraft crashed in Kericho County in northwest Kenya on Wednesday, the police said.

Rescuers work to move the wreckage of a Cessna 206 light aircraft that crashed at Londiani in Kericho district, some 220 km northwest of Nairobi, on February 13, 2019, killing all five people onboard. [Photo: AFP/Suleiman Mbatiah]

Kericho County police commander James Mugera said a Kenyan pilot, three Americans and an unidentified male on the plane, which was en route to Lodwar near Lake Turkana from the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve, died after the plane developed a mechanic problem and crashed at Kamwingi area in Londiani, Kericho County.

"The plane had five occupants -- two females and three males. We were able to identify four, and one white male was unidentified," Mugera told journalists.

Rift Valley regional police commander Edward Mwamburi said earlier that all five people aboard the plane were dead.

According to witnesses, the plane might have developed a mechanical problem before hitting a tree. Passengers aboard were believed to be tourists.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), which regulates airline operations in the country, said it received a satellite signal indicating that the aircraft was in distress.

"This prompted our search and rescue team to initiate an emergency mission. The authority also contacted the owner of the aircraft who confirmed that the aircraft was from Maasai Mara to Lodwar ...," KCAA director-general Gilbert Kibe said in a statement.

Kibe said investigations have commenced to establish the exact cause of the crash, noting that the Air Accident Investigation Division of Kenya has been informed of the incident.