According to local government sources, in the early hours of Tuesday, a small Cessna caravan plane heading to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya crashed on a forested hill in the coastal area of Kwale. The plane was carrying 10 foreign tourists.
Mombasa Air Safari, the operator of the flight, stated, “It is with great sadness that we report that there were no survivors on board.”
The company’s chairman, John Cleave, revealed in a statement that the passengers included 8 Hungarian nationals, 2 Germans, and 1 Kenyan pilot.
The aircraft crashed around 5:30 a.m. local time en route to the private airstrip at Kichwa Tembo within the park.
Local officials mentioned that the crash occurred shortly after takeoff, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Diani Airport. Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang followed by a burst of flames.
Authorities found charred aircraft debris and unidentifiable human remains at the crash site, indicating the need for time to piece together the details of the incident.
Mombasa Air Travel Company stated that they are cooperating with civil aviation authorities to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is a popular tourist destination where visitors can witness hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles migrating annually from Tanzania’s Serengeti.