The tragedy occurred yesterday in the hilly and heavily forested terrain of Kwale County along Kenya’s coast, claiming the lives of all 10 passengers and the pilot.
The aircraft, a single-engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was en route from the coastal hub at Diani (Ukunda Airport) when it went down.
Maasai Mara National Reserve is a popular tourist destination and features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Onboard were eight Hungarian tourists, two Germans and the Kenyan pilot.
Authorities said the pilot lost radio contact shortly after take-off and air traffic control repeatedly attempted to reach the aircraft for about 30 minutes before locating the crash site.
Stormy weather – rain and mist – was present at the time and investigators are treating adverse conditions as a possible contributing factor.
The Kenyan aviation regulator has dispatched teams to investigate the cause of the accident. The country’s transport ministry emphasised that aviation safety remains its highest priority in light of the incident.
