Latest news with #AMREF
Mint
07-08-2025
- Health
- Mint
Air ambulance helicopter crashes into residential area near Kenya's Nairobi, 6 dead
A tragic air crash just outside Kenya's capital on Thursday claimed six lives, after a medical evacuation jet belonging to AMREF Flying Doctors plunged into a residential area in Kiambu County, which borders Nairobi. The Kenya Red Cross confirmed the incident, stating that rescue teams were swiftly deployed to the crash site. Military and police personnel also responded rapidly, securing the area amid burning wreckage and scattered debris. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion, followed by a fireball and the sight of debris raining over rooftops in the Githurai suburb. The aircraft, a mid-size Cessna Citation XLS jet operated by AMREF Flying Doctors, had taken off from Nairobi and was en route to Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland. In a statement, the air ambulance service provider said it is fully cooperating with aviation authorities and emergency services to determine the cause of the crash. It did not disclose the number of casualties or speculate on the cause, but assured that more information would be released in due course. Confusion initially surrounded the incident, with the Kenya Red Cross earlier misreporting the aircraft as a helicopter. However, AMREF later clarified the aircraft type and route. Local media outlet The Star reported a swift and coordinated response from the authorities, with emergency services quickly arriving to cordon off the scene and begin recovery efforts. Although crashes involving light aircraft are relatively common in the region, this latest tragedy has raised renewed concerns over flight safety. In April last year, Kenya's military chief was among 10 people killed in a military helicopter crash shortly after take-off.
The Star
07-08-2025
- General
- The Star
2nd LD-Writethru: Light aircraft with 4 onboard crashes in Kenya capital
NAIROBI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were confirmed dead and two others injured after a light aircraft belonging to AMREF Flying Doctors crashed in a residential area on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, a government official confirmed. "We have six people dead. The four who were on board and two on the ground. Two others were injured on the ground," said Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula. He noted that among those deceased were four medical personnel onboard the Cessna Citation 560 ambulance aircraft with registration 5Y-FDM, as well as two members of the public at the crash scene. According to Wafula, the injured, including an elderly woman, were rushed to a local hospital. Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director-General Emile Arao said in a statement that the aircraft took off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi at 2:14 p.m. local time en route to Hargeisa in northern Somalia. It crashed three minutes later in the Mwihoko area. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident involving an air ambulance mission. Our immediate priority is to support rescue efforts and provide all necessary assistance to the families affected," Arao said. Kenya Defence Forces and National Police Service are leading the search and rescue efforts at the crash site, according to the statement. The Air Accident Investigation Department has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the crash. AMREF also confirmed the accident, saying it was cooperating fully with aviation authorities and emergency responders to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. AMREF Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gitau said in a separate statement that their immediate focus is on the safety and well-being of those on board and providing full support to their families and colleagues. "We are also offering all necessary assistance to the authorities as investigations continue," Gitau added. Images from the scene showed the wreckage engulfed in flames as witnesses watched from a distance.
BBC News
07-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Six dead in Nairobi medical small plane crash, official says
Six people have been killed after a light aircraft belonging to a medical charity crashed in Kenya's capitol, Nairobi, according to a local AMREF Flying Doctors said the Cessna plane took off from Wilson airport on Thursday afternoon and was en route to Hargeisa in Somalia when it crashed and burst into flames at a residential building in Nairobi's Githurai County Commissioner Henry Wafula said six people on the plane were killed, including doctors, nurses and the pilot - as well as another two people on the ground, while two others were seriously have been despatched to the scene of the crash to establish its cause. The plane lost both radio and radar contact with air traffic control just three minutes after take off, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority were four crew and AMREF staff on board, the charity said."At this time, we are cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation," AMREF CEO Stephen Gitau said in a Kenya Defence Forces and the National Police Service have been deployed to the scene to conduct search and recovery Kombo, an eyewitness, told the BBC that she was in a cab with her friends heading to Githurai when they heard a loud bang and a red flash ahead of them."Before I could take my phone to record the flash was gone and smoke was billowing. We then heard people screaming and running and so we ended our trip."We then discovered it was a plane crash and saw the sunken hole the crash had created in the ground," she a separate incident, a train and a bus collided at a railway crossing near Naivasha town, central Kenya, killing at least four people, according to Reuters news agency citing a Red Cross Kenya Pipeline Company, whose bus was involved in the incident, said it was carrying staff finishing their morning shift at one of its training centres and that all injured staff had been taken to hospital for treatment.
The Star
07-08-2025
- General
- The Star
1st LD: Light aircraft with 4 onboard crashes in Kenya capital
NAIROBI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A light aircraft carrying four people crashed Thursday in a residential area on the outskirts of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said in a statement. The accident involved a Cessna Citation 560 air ambulance, registration 5Y-FDM, which took off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi at 2:14 p.m. local time en route to Hargeisa in northern Somalia. It crashed three minutes later in the Mwihoko area, the statement said. KCAA Director-General Emile Arao said the aircraft, operated by AMREF Flying Doctors, went down under unclear circumstances. He did not disclose the fate of those on board. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident involving an air ambulance mission. Our immediate priority is to support rescue efforts and provide all necessary assistance to the families affected," Arao said. Kenya Defence Forces and National Police Service are leading the search and rescue efforts at the crash site, according to the statement. The Air Accident Investigation Department has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the crash. AMREF also confirmed the accident, saying it was cooperating fully with aviation authorities and emergency responders to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. AMREF Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gitau said in a separate statement that their immediate focus is on the safety and well-being of those on board and providing full support to their families and colleagues. "We are also offering all necessary assistance to the authorities as investigations continue," Gitau added. Images from the scene showed the wreckage engulfed in flames as witnesses watched from a distance.
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Kenya plane crash: Six killed as AMREF air ambulance crashes into residential area; victims include residents on ground
Six killed as AMREF air ambulance crashes into residential area in Kenya (Image credits: PTI) At least six people died Thursday when a medical evacuation plane operated by AMREF Flying Doctors crashed into a residential neighborhood just outside Nairobi. The aircraft, a Cessna Citation XLS jet, had taken off from an airport in Nairobi and was en route to Somaliland when it went down in Mwihoko, a neighborhood in Kiambu County, which borders the capital. Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula confirmed that four people on board the plane died in the crash. He added that two more victims were inside a house that the plane struck during the incident. AMREF Flying Doctors, an air ambulance service provider, confirmed the crash but did not specify the number of casualties or the cause. In a statement, the organisation said it was 'cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation.' The Kenya Red Cross said its rescue teams were deployed to the crash site, as cited by AP. The organisation had earlier reported that the aircraft involved was a helicopter.
