Search for aircraft called off yet again

The search for a plane that disappeared over the Aberdare Forest was called off yesterday due to bad weather and inaccessible roads.

The 5Y-CAC plane, which was headed to Nairobi from Kitale, lost communication with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) control tower at around 5pm on Tuesday. It had 10 passengers and crew on aboard.

Nyandarua County Commissioner Boas Cherotich said rescue operations would resume at 6am today.

Twice yesterday, a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) helicopter - 5Y-KWM - had to return to Njabini Boys Secondary School after a one-minute flight to test the weather.

It later surveyed the fog filled forest, but the plane was not spotted.

By 15.30pm (yesterday), a team from National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) had five helicopters at its disposal, but air rescue mission could still not be undertaken.

Kenya Airforce's KAF 1101 and Kenya Police 5Y-EDM were among the helicopters expected to take part in the rescue.

NDMU Deputy Director Pius Masai said rains and fog reduced visibility.

When the weather failed to clear up at 11am, a team from KWS and Kenya Red Cross Society decided to go to the forest by road using the Southern Kinangop Forest Station.

No information

Behind them was the Khetia family, whose kin Khetia Kishani is one of those who were in the light aircraft that is suspected to have crashed.

The family said they had been at Njabini ground since midnight on Tuesday when they learnt of the lost plane on Facebook, but no information had been given to them on the whereabouts of their kin.

Some local residents claimed they had seen the plane coming down.

But The Standard later learnt that there might be no witness as the incident happened in an uninhabited area.

"We are very careful with the rescue process. We do not want incidents of having to go back to rescue the rescuers," said Masai.

Mr Cherotich said the team was hopeful that some of the occupants of the plane would be found alive.

He, however, added that they were yet to make any contact with the occupants.

"We are still hopeful that is why this remains a search and rescue. We have enough personnel and equipment among them seven choppers for the exercise," said Cherotich.