At least two people have died, and about 44 others escaped uninjured after two planes collided at the Nairobi National Park.
Confirming the accident, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the Tuesday 10.05 am accident involved a Cessna plane and a Dash 8 plane.
”Kenya Civil Aviation Authority wishes to confirm that an aircraft accident occurred at 10.05hrs involving a Cessna aircraft belonging to Ninety-Nines Flying School and Dash 8 belonging to Safarilink Aviation Limited,’’ KCAA stated.
The Dash 8 registration number 5YSLK was headed for Diani with 44 passengers and crew, while the Cessna registration number 5YNNJ had two people on board and was in a training session when the incident happened, police said.
The Cessna plane crashed at the park, while the Dash 8 managed to land back at Wilson Airport. Both planes had originated at Wilson Airport, officials said, adding that there were two fatalities in the accident.
Speaking on the matter, Safarilink stated that none of their passengers was hurt.
“Safarilink Aviation wishes to report that this morning at 9:45 Local Time our flight number 053 with 39 passengers and 5 crew on board headed to Diani experienced a loud bang soon after take-off.”
“The crew decided to immediately turn back to Nairobi-Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely. There were no casualties reported,” the operator said.
Investigations have commenced through various agencies led by the Air Accident Investigation Department and the National Police Service to establish the cause of the accident.
