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11 dead after plane crashes, bursts into flames in Kwale
The debris of a plane that crashed in Kwale on October 28, 2025.
11 people died after a plane crashed and burst into flames at Vyungwani area in Matuga, Kwale County, shortly after take-off on Tuesday morning.
Kwale County Police Commander Abdillahi Alio confirmed the incident, adding that County Commissioner Stephen Orinde would provide more details.
The aircraft had 11 persons on board who all died. According to Mombasa Air Safari, which operated the plane, the 11 comprised 8 Hungarians, 2 Germans and 1 Kenyan crew member.
According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the plane took off from Diani and was headed to Kichwa Tembo in Maasai Mara when it crashed at around 8.30am.
"Government agencies are already on site to establish the cause of the accident and its impact," KCAA said in a statement from Director-General Emile Arao.
The cause of the crash is still unknown.
Security officers and rescuers at the site of a plane that crashed in Kwale on October 28, 2025.
Loud bang
Locals said they heard a loud bang early in the morning. On getting to the scene, they found that the plane had caught fire.
The area had been experiencing heavy rainfall on Monday night and Tuesday morning, and the hilly terrain was covered by fog.
"It was still very early when I heard a loud bang. I rushed to the scene and found that the plane had caught fire and there was no one we could save," said Mr Makopa Sazu, a resident of the Vyungwani area.
Aviation safety
The crash has once again brought to the spotlight concerns about aviation safety in the country, especially involving light aircraft.
In August, an Amref Flying Doctors plane crashed in Mwihoko area shortly after taking off from Wilson Airport, killing all six people on board. Earlier in January, a light aircraft burst into flames after crash-landing in Malindi, Kilifi County. The accident claimed the lives of three people on the ground, while the pilot and two students on board survived with injuries.
Just three weeks later, on January 31, another tragedy struck at Kedong Ranch in Naivasha, Nakuru County. A Cessna A185F went down, killing both occupants.
"At the time of the accident, eye witnesses reported (the) weather conditions in Naivasha and its environs as low clouds and low visibility. The aircraft was observed to (have) disappeared into the low clouds followed by a loud bang. Similar weather conditions were observed by other aviators at the time and airport of departure," a preliminary investigation report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department at the Ministry of Roads and Transport stated.
On March 8, a light aircraft crashed at Ikanga, near Voi in Taita-Taveta County, claiming the life of a trainee pilot. Local residents rushed to the scene in an effort to rescue the pilot, but the wreckage was already engulfed in flames by the time emergency services arrived.
On June 14, a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) training aircraft crashed in Kinango, Kwale County. The two military officers on board lost their lives.
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