A plane crash near Kenya’s coast has killed 10 European tourists and a local pilot, officials have said.

The aircraft was flying from the popular beach resort of Diani to an airstrip in the world-famous Maasai Mara game park when it went down at 05:30 local time (02:30 GMT), the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

Mombasa Air Safari said the plane was carrying eight Hungarians, two Germans and a Kenyan pilot, all of whom had been killed in the crash.

“Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected,” it added in a statement.

Local media have published images of the plane in flames, with debris scattered at the site of the crash.

Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told the BBC that the plane crashed about 10km (six miles) from Kwale town after flying out of Diani.

It was on its way to Kichwa Tembo, an airstrip in Maasai Mara, popular with holidaymakers because of its wildlife.

“The passengers were all tourists,” Orinde said.

He said that investigations into the cause of the crash were ongoing but suggested it could have been due to bad weather.

“The weather is not very good here at the moment. Since early in the morning, it is raining and it is very misty, but we cannot preempt [the findings],” Orinde said.

In August, a light aircraft belonging to the medical charity Amref crashed on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, killing six people and injuring two others.

Source: BBC 

-Agencies