A medical plane crashed into a tiny residential complex near Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, killing at least six people and critically injuring two, a local official said Thursday.
The plane took off from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport at 2:17 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) and was on its way to Somaliland when it crashed in Ruiru, Kiambu County, soon after 3 p.m. (1200 GMT).
“We have lost four people, including the pilot… It was all fatal,” said Kiambu County commissioner Henry Wafula, adding that two people were killed on the ground. He said another two had been “seriously injured”.
The crash comes barely 24 hours after a military jet crashed in Ghana, killing the minister of defence, the minister of environment, and other passengers on board.
The crash involved a Z-9 helicopter belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, which lost contact during a flight from Accra, the capital, to Obuasi — a gold-mining town in the south where the crew was headed for an official engagement.
Ghanaian President John Mahama described the incident as a national tragedy and suspended activities upon receiving the news.
He also directed that flags fly at half-mast to honour the memory of the victims.
