Three people have been confirmed dead after a light plane crashed and burst into flames in the Kwachocha area of Malindi, Kilifi County.
The accident which happened on the afternoon of Friday, January 10, left other three people sustaining injuries.
The aircraft tragically claimed the lives of a boda boda rider, a pillion passenger, and a bystander.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed the accident, stating that the plane had three people on board who sustained serious injuries.
“Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) wishes to confirm that an aircraft registration number 5Y-CDC, crashed 2km from Malindi airport at 1152Z (2.52 p.m),” KCAA said.
“The aircraft had three people on board who survived and were rushed to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, regrettably, there were 3 fatalities on the ground. Government agencies are already on site to establish the cause of the accident.”
Cause of Plane Crash in Malindi
According to reports, the plane crash-landed along the side of the Malindi-Mombasa Highway and caught fire upon impact.
Videos from the scene seen by The Kenya Times depicted the aircraft engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from the site.
Eyewitnesses reported that the plane fell on some motorcycles in the area, causing further damage.
The ill-fated plane is reported to have crashed into a new hotel that was yet to be opened in Malindi.
The accident caused a huge traffic snarl-up along the busy highway.
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The aircraft, which was on a routine training flight, reportedly developed a technical hitch, forcing it to land on the Malindi- Mombasa highway.
The scene has been cordoned off as emergency teams and police officers work to piece together the events leading to the crash.
Firefighters rushed to the scene of the Malindi plane crash and swiftly worked to extinguish the flames.
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Past Crash Incidents
This incident adds to a series of recent aviation accidents in Kenya. Earlier, in March 2024, a tragic mid-air collision between a training aircraft and a passenger plane near Wilson Airport resulted in two fatalities.
A student pilot and trainer were killed after the aircraft, belonging to a flying school crashed in the Nairobi National Park, killing the two people.
The Safarilink passenger plane returned to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport from where it had taken off with 44 people on board.
According to authorities, the aircraft, bound for Diani on Kenya’s coast, had “experienced a loud bang soon after take-off”.
The Cessna plane operated by Ninety-Nines Flying School crashed in the game park about 10km (six miles) from the airport.
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