Latest news with #StephenGitau


UPI
16 hours ago
- Health
- UPI
Six killed after 'flying doctors' aircraft crashes in Nairobi, Kenya
Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Six people were killed and two seriously injured in Kenya after a small executive jet operated by a medical charity crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off from Nairobi International Airport en route to northern Somalia. All four people aboard and two on the ground died when the Cessna Citation XLS belonging to Amref Flying Doctors came down in a northeastern suburb of the capital on Thursday afternoon. Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Director-General Emile Arao said the aircraft lost radio and radar contact with Air Traffic Control just three minutes into the flight. People on the ground described hearing a loud bang before seeing a fireball in the sky and black smoke as the aircraft plummeted, hitting the ground very hard. The military joined police in a search and rescue operation, while Air Accident Investigation Department officials dispatched to the crash site were expected to launch an official investigation. The deceased on board included a doctor, a nurse, the captain and first officer, according to Amref, which said the aircraft was on a medical evacuation flight to pick up a patient 920 miles away in Hargeisa, the Somali capital. "We are profoundly saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of our fallen colleagues and the affected members of the community. We are doing everything possible to support the families, friends and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time," said Amref Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau. Gitau added that the charity was cognizant of the impact on the community where the crash occurred and offered its sympathies and support. According to its website, Amref Flying Doctors is affiliated with the African Medical and Research Foundation, an NGO, but its medical and air ambulance service operates on a commercial basis, with any profit going to support Amref's work to deliver lasting health change in Africa.


Daily Record
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Plane crash leaves at least six people dead as jet flying doctors smashes into homes
The aircraft was carrying doctors and nurses. A probe is underway after six people have died and two others were left injured when a plane carrying doctors crashed into homes in a residential area. The incident took place in Ruiru, Kiambu County, Kenya, this afternoon, Thursday, August 7, 2025, after the Cessna Citation XLS aircraft left Wilson Airport in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The plane belonged to AMREF Flying Doctors, which provides "fixed-wing air ambulance services" in Africa. It is not yet clear what caused the crash. Four people were onboard the plane at the time. The Mirror reports the deceased include two doctors, two nurses and two members of public, according to the Kiambu County Commissioner. It comes after reports of a dad's desperate phone call moments before explosion kills him and his daughters. "At this time, we are cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation," AMREF Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said. The Cessna took off from Wilson Airport in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi at 2:17pm and was on its way to Hargeisa, Somalia when it crashed. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the aircraft lost radio and radar contact three minutes after it took off from Wilson Airport. Multiple homes were damaged near the crash site, which has a radius of around 100 metres. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Police Service were deployed to the scene and both are now engaged in rescue operations. An investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Local resident Njeri Wanjiru said the plane looked like it was "struggling to land" and "hit several houses" before it crashed, according to Daily Nation. Yesterday, the crash of a military helicopter in Ghana killed all eight people onboard, including the West African country's defence and environment ministers and other top officials, the government said. Ghana's military said the helicopter took off in the morning from the capital Accra and was heading north west into the interior towards the gold-mining area of Obuasi in the Ashanti region when it went off the radar. The wreckage was later found in the Adansi area of Ashanti. The cause of the crash was not immediately known and the military said an investigation was under way. Defence minister Edward Omane Boamah and environment minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were killed alongside the vice-chair of the National Democratic Congress ruling party, a top national security adviser, and crew members. Ghana's government described the crash as a 'national tragedy'. State media reported that the aircraft was a Z-9 helicopter that is often used for transport and medical evacuation. An online video of the crash site shows debris on fire in a forest as some citizens circle around to help. Wednesday's crash was one of Ghana's worst air disasters in more than a decade.


BBC News
a day ago
- 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.


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Kiambu County plane crash: At least six dead as jet smashes into homes
A plane crash has left at least six people dead and two others injured after the plane crashed in a residential area in Ruiru, Kiambu County, Kenya. The aircraft, a Cessna Citation XLS, belonged to AMREF Flying Doctors, which provides "fixed- wing air ambulance services" in Africa. It is not yet clear what caused the crash of the aricraft, which had four people onboard at the time. The deceased include two doctors, two nurses and two members of public, according to the Kiambu County Commissioner. "At this time, we are cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation," AMREF Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau said