Johnson Progress

A small Cessna Caravan‑type aircraft crashed Early Tuesday in Kwale County, Kenya, killing all 11 people on board, most of them foreign tourists.

The plane, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, was en route from the coastal resort of Diani to Kichwa Tembo airstrip in the Maasai Mara National Reserve when it went down at about 5:30 a.m. local time (02:30 GMT).

The dead included eight Hungarian tourists, two German tourists and the Kenyan pilot. “Sadly, there are no survivors,” Mombasa Air Safari chairman John Cleave said in a statement, confirming the loss of the 10 passengers and the captain.

He added that the airline had “activated our emergency response team” and was cooperating fully with local authorities.

“Our hearts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragic event,” the company said.

Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told the BBC the aircraft crashed about 10 km from Kwale town, amid heavy rain and mist.

“The weather is not very good here at the moment. Since early in the morning, it is raining and very misty, but we cannot preempt,” Orinde said, indicating that bad weather may have contributed to the accident.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the plane was carrying 12 people, though the airline’s figures listed 11, and investigators are already on the scene to determine the cause.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims and said his government was in touch with Kenyan authorities over the “tragedy.”

The KCAA, the Kenya Red Cross and rescue teams have cordoned off the crash site, where charred wreckage and scattered debris were photographed.

Photographs showed the aircraft in flames, with emergency crews working to recover bodies in the hilly, forested terrain.

The crash is the latest deadly aviation incident in Kenya; in August a light aircraft belonging to the medical NGO Amref crashed on the outskirts of Nairobi, killing six people and injuring two.

The current investigation will involve officials from Kenya, Hungary, Germany and the aircraft’s manufacturer, as authorities seek to pinpoint the factors behind the Tuesday tragedy.