Kenya medical plane crash kills six after Ghana helicopter disaster

A medical evacuation aircraft crashed into a residential building near Nairobi on Thursday, killing at least six people and leaving two others critically injured, local authorities confirmed.

The tragedy came barely 24 hours after a fatal military helicopter crash in Ghana claimed the lives of eight people, including the country’s defence and environment ministers.

Thursday’s crash occurred shortly after the Cessna Citation XLS took off from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport at 2:17 p.m. local time (1117 GMT) en route to Somaliland.

The aircraft went down in Ruiru, Kiambu County, just after 3:00 p.m. (1200 GMT).

Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula told reporters that four people on board, including the pilot, died instantly.

Two residents of the building struck by the plane also lost their lives, while two others on the ground suffered serious injuries.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft aflame before impact.

“The plane started burning in the air before it hit the houses,” said local resident Tasha Wanjira. Another witness, Irene Wangui, described how the crash shook nearby buildings and left “body parts scattered everywhere.”

Photographs from the scene showed crowds of onlookers gathered as emergency crews worked through the wreckage.

Some residents wept as they surveyed the destruction. “I have lost everything,” said homeowner Margaret Wairimu, “thank God my children were not around.”

Amref Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau confirmed the aircraft belonged to the Nairobi-based medical air service, which has operated across East Africa since 1957.

Gitau described the incident as a “fatal accident” and said the company’s priority was the safety and welfare of all involved, promising further details once investigations progressed

Kenya medical plane crash kills six after Ghana helicopter disaster