A plane crash killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenya’s coastal region of Kwale early Tuesday while en route to Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were onboard, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Diani airstrip, authorities said.
The airline did not confirm what time the aircraft departed Diani airstrip, saying the pilot failed to communicate upon departure and the airport control tower tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located.
Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash that happened at 05:30 a.m. local time, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The Associated Press. Later, the ministry of transport said in a statement the crash occurred at 8.35 a.m. local time.
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