Six people have been killed after a small aircraft operated by a Kenyan medical charity crashed in the capital, Nairobi, bursting into flames on impact with a residential building.
The Cessna plane, owned by Amref Flying Doctors, had taken off from Wilson Airport on Thursday afternoon, bound for Hargeisa in Somalia. Just three minutes after departure, the aircraft lost both radio and radar contact with air traffic control, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed.
Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula said four people on board — including doctors, nurses, and the pilot — died in the crash. Two more victims were on the ground when the aircraft struck the building in the Githurai area. Two other people sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Amref Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said the charity was “cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation.” The non-profit is known for providing emergency medical evacuation and transport services across East Africa.
Emergency workers, police, and the Kenya Defence Forces were deployed to the crash site, where search and recovery operations continued into the evening. The impact left a deep crater in the ground and scattered debris across the area.
Eyewitness Patricia Kombo told the BBC she was travelling by taxi when she and her friends saw “a loud bang and a red flash ahead of us.” She added: “Before I could take my phone to record, the flash was gone and smoke was billowing. We then heard people screaming and running.”
Investigators have been dispatched to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred in overcast weather. Aviation safety experts say mechanical failure, pilot distress, or bird strikes are among the possible scenarios under review.
In a separate tragedy the same day, at least four people were killed when a train and a bus collided at a railway crossing near Naivasha, central Kenya. The Kenya Pipeline Company, which owned the bus, said it had been transporting staff finishing their morning shift at a nearby training centre. Injured employees were taken to the hospital for treatment. The two incidents have cast a sombre mood across Kenya, highlighting ongoing challenges in transport safety and infrastructure oversight. Both investigations remain ongoing.The Cessna plane, owned by Amref Flying Doctors, had taken off from Wilson Airport on Thursday afternoon, bound for Hargeisa in Somalia. Just three minutes after departure, the aircraft lost both radio and radar contact with air traffic control, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed.
Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula said four people on board — including doctors, nurses, and the pilot — died in the crash. Two more victims were on the ground when the aircraft struck the building in the Githurai area. Two other people sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Amref Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said the charity was “cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation.” The non-profit is known for providing emergency medical evacuation and transport services across East Africa.
Emergency workers, police, and the Kenya Defence Forces were deployed to the crash site, where search and recovery operations continued into the evening. The impact left a deep crater in the ground and scattered debris across the area.
Eyewitness Patricia Kombo told the BBC she was travelling by taxi when she and her friends saw “a loud bang and a red flash ahead of us.” She added: “Before I could take my phone to record, the flash was gone and smoke was billowing. We then heard people screaming and running.”
Investigators have been dispatched to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred in overcast weather. Aviation safety experts say mechanical failure, pilot distress, or bird strikes are among the possible scenarios under review.
In a separate tragedy the same day, at least four people were killed when a train and a bus collided at a railway crossing near Naivasha, central Kenya. The Kenya Pipeline Company, which owned the bus, said it had been transporting staff finishing their morning shift at a nearby training centre. Injured employees were taken to the hospital for treatment. The two incidents have cast a sombre mood across Kenya, highlighting ongoing challenges in transport safety and infrastructure oversight. Both investigations remain ongoing.
