Kwale County, Kenya — Kenyan authorities have confirmed that 11 people were killed on Tuesday morning when a Mombasa Air Safari aircraft crashed in a forested area of Kwale County amid heavy rainfall.
The plane was reportedly en route from Diani Beach to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a popular tourist destination, when it went down shortly after takeoff.
According to a statement from the airline, the victims included eight Hungarian nationals, two Germans, and one Kenyan pilot. Emergency responders and investigators from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) have been deployed to the crash site.
Officials said a full investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash, with weather conditions and possible mechanical failure among the early lines of inquiry.
The tragic incident marks one of the deadliest small aircraft accidents in Kenya in recent years and has prompted renewed calls for stricter aviation safety oversight in the country’s tourism corridors.
