Kenya: 10 feared killed in domestic flight crash

AP | There are no survivors in the crash of a small plane carrying 10 people that disappeared on Tuesday and was found in pieces high on a Kenyan mountainside, an official said Thursday.

“Information from teams reaching the crash site is that there are no survivors,” said Charles Wako, chairman of the domestic airline Fly-SAX.

The wreckage was spotted southwest of the Aberdare mountain range nearly 2 days after contact was lost during the flight from the western town of Kitale to the capital, Nairobi.
Pieces of the plane were seen in dense forest about 3,627 meters (11,900 feet) above sea level near a 400 meter (1,312 feet) cliff, said Transport Ministry Principal Secretary Paul Mwangi Maringa. The location had made it difficult for rescuers to spot the plane due to cloud cover.

Military personnel on foot and emergency services were on their way to the crash site, Maringa said.
“It will be quite a difficult climb” considering the cliff, Capt. Gilbert Kibe with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority told reporters.

An investigation was under way into the cause of the crash.

President Uhuru Kenyatta offered condolences to the families of those lost. The plane had been carrying 2 pilots and 8 passengers.

Officials on Wednesday said the search efforts were focusing on the mountain range in central Kenya where a mobile phone signal from the plane had been located.