Three people died while three others sustained injuries when a light aircraft crash-landed and burst into flames next to the Malindi-Mombasa highway in the Kwa Chocha area of Malindi town Friday afternoon.
The aircraft had just taken off at the Malindi International Airport when it developed mechanical problems, and the pilot attempted to land on the busy road but instead landed on an open ground near a pub, killing a boda-boda rider, his passenger, and another man who was on the ground.
The three occupants, who included the pilot, an instructor, and a flying student, escaped with slight injuries and were rushed to a nearby health facility for a medical check-up, according to Kilifi County Police Commander Joseph Ongaya.
Mr. Ongaya, who was speaking at the accident scene, said the aircraft was headed to Wilson Airport in Nairobi when it developed mechanical problems moments after take-off and crash-landed, catching fire and burning one casualty beyond recognition.
He said the cause of the accident had not yet been established but added that aviation experts had been dispatched to Malindi from Nairobi to assess the scene with a view to establishing what actually happened.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro and Malindi Member of Parliament Amina Mnyazi, who visited the scene, sent messages of condolences to the families of the deceased persons and urged residents to be calm.
Mung’aro urged people residing around the Malindi Airport to be extra vigilant, noting that he had agitated for the relocation of the aircraft facility to Langobaya when he was Malindi Mayor.
“This cannot now happen since the government has invested a lot in the airport, hence the need for those residing near it to be more vigilant,” he said.
Eyewitnesses said they saw the aircraft flying low before it fell on the ground with a bang and burst into flames. They said they rushed to rescue the occupants who were pleading for help.
The witnesses said the boda-boda rider and his passenger, a head teacher at a primary school in Malindi Sub County, were hacked by the plane’s propeller and died on the spot, with the head teacher’s head being decapitated and thrown into the burning wreckage.
The crash occurred about 500 meters from the Malindi International Airport along the Malindi-Kilifi highway.
By Emmanuel Masha