At least 6 killed as Amref plane headed for Somalia crashes on residential houses in Mwihoko, Kiambu

Light aircraft crashes onto residential buildings in Mwihoko, Nairobi

At least six people were killed when an AMREF aircraft crashed on a residential place in Mwihoko area, Kiambu County.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon as it headed for Somalia for a medical rescue mission.
The light aircraft belonging to AMREF Flying Doctors crashed at a residential area killing the six.

The aircraft, Cessna Citation XLS, registration 5Y-FDM, which was headed to Hergesia, Somalia, had four people on board at the time it went down under unclear circumstances.

Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula confirmed that the fatalities include two doctors and two nurses who were onboard the aircraft, as well as two members of the public who were at the scene.
“We have six people dead. The four who were on board and two on the ground. Two others were injured on the ground,” said Wafula.

He said the injured were rushed to hospital in stable condition.

The house they were in was also destroyed by fire that broke out.

AMREF Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said the aircraft took off from Wilson Airport at 2.17 PM en route to Hargeisa, Somalia, before it crashed in Mwihoko.

“At this time, we are cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation,” he added.

A multi-agency team comprising the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Police Service was swiftly deployed to the scene and is currently conducting rescue and recovery operations.

Authorities cordoned off the site as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said they are investigating the incident.

The plane burst into flames after crashing on buildings.

It had originated Wilson Airport and was headed for Hargesia when it lost contact with the air controllers at about 12.17 pm, officials said.

Images from the ground showed the plane burning with a crowd watching from a distance.

Military and police responded to the site to keep a crowd from the scene.

The incident happened near a military base in Mwihoko area hence their first response there.

Fire engines responded to the scene.

He said they had secured the scene for experts to handle.

A chopper flew from Wilson Airport to the scene as a response to the accident before it returned on learning there was no survivor.

More personnel were deployed to the scene to control a crowd that gathered there.