Six people were killed Thursday afternoon when a tiny plane
carrying medical personnel crashed in a crowded area of the capital of Kenya,
according to local officials.
According to a statement from the nonprofit organization
AMREF Flying Doctors, the Cessna crashed while en route to Hargeisa, the
capital of Somaliland, the country's breakaway area.
According to Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula, two
people on the ground and the four people on board perished.
The aircraft departed Wilson Airport at 02:14 PM (1114 GMT),
according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and lost communication with
air traffic control three minutes later.
"This tragic
incident involving an air ambulance mission deeply saddens us," KCAA said
in a statement.
After hearing a
tremendous noise, a witness who wished to remain anonymous told Reuters that
she witnessed a flame and debris all around the neighborhood.
Social media
users posted unverified footage of firefighters attempting to put out flaming
debris inside what looked to be a home property.
In eastern
Africa, light aircraft crashes are rather frequent.
When Kenya's military helicopter crashed shortly after
takeoff in April of last year, ten people were murdered, including the
country's military head.