Four people confirmed dead in Nairobi plane crash

 

NAIROBI, KENYA: Four passengers died Wednesday morning after a cargo plane headed for Mogadishu, Somalia crashed on a commercial building in Utawala, Embakasi area after take off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Officials said the Fokker 50 cargo plane crashed at about 4 am Wednesday and was carrying khat at time of the incident.

According to the JKIA head of investigations Joseph Ngisa, preliminary findings had shown the plane was flying low after take off and it is thought to have hit an electric pole before crashing.

Witnesses said they saw the plane come down while on fire. Ngisa said there was likely to be no survivor in the early morning crash.

“It is not clear what caused the crash but officials here say it was flying so low before it came down and burst into flames. We have no survivor,” said Ngisa.

Emergency services rushed to the area immediately after the crash that happened near the Administration Police Training College.

Police later announced they would close a section of the Northern Bypass for a while to enable emergency service providers access the area.

Traffic commandant Charlton Muriithi said the closure would be temporary to enhance operations at the scene.

“It is a temporary measure to enable those at the scene carry out their work,” he said.

The company which the plane belongs to is based at Wilson Airport but the plane took off from JKIA.

Experts said they would investigate the cause of the crash.