Kenya: Light plane with 10 people on board goes missing

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Ten people have gone missing in Kenya after a light plane they were traveling in disappeared from radar on Wednesday evening, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) announced.

The Cessna C208 Fly-SAX airlines plane was en route from western Kenya to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the capital Nairobi with two crew members (both women) and eight passengers on board, said the authority early Wednesday.

Phone signals from the missing plane have been located along the Aberdare forest in the Kinangop area -- 60 kilometers from its destination -- which the airline said yesterday saw heavy storms, hampering search and rescue efforts.

Speaking to reporters, National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) Deputy Director Pius Masai said: “Search and rescue efforts have started but the bad weather is hampering any progress. We already have a chopper up scanning the area, and we’re asking anyone with any information that could help speed up the process to volunteer information.”

Anadolu Agency spoke to Mohammed Abdi, a relative of one of the passengers, identified as Abdi Ali, who said: “We are currently here at a Nairobi hotel waiting for any news. They asked us to meet here. The airline hasn’t given us any updates apart from there’s bad weather where the plane is suspected to be.”

Following the incident, the KCAA has imposed restrictions on 29 air operators.