12 feared dead after light aircraft en route to Maasai Mara crashes in Kenya

Nairobi: A small plane travelling from Kenya's coast crashed on Tuesday, according to the country's aviation authority, with the 12 people on board feared dead.

The small plane was en route to Kichwa Tembo -- a private airstrip located in the Maasai Mara National Park -- from the tourist hotspot of Diani when it came down at around 5:30am local time (0230 GMT- 0800 IST).

"The aircraft had 12 persons on board," a statement from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

It gave no further details, but said that government agencies were already on site to establish the cause of the accident.

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

AFP