Authorities said the aircraft, a Cessna Caravan-type plane, was flying from Diani airstrip on Kenya’s southern coast to a private airstrip near the Maasai Mara National Reserve, one of East Africa’s top safari destinations, when it went down in a hilly, forested area about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Diani.

Officials said the crash occurred at about 8:35 a.m. local time after the pilot failed to maintain radio contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff. Attempts by the control tower to reach the plane went unanswered for more than 30 minutes before search teams located the burning wreckage in the thick vegetation of Shimba Hills.

According to Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde, the plane “burst into flames on impact,” leaving no survivors. Witnesses told reporters they heard a loud explosion followed by thick smoke rising from the area.

“We heard a huge bang and ran towards the direction of the sound. When we arrived, there was nothing left of the plane — it was completely burnt,” one resident told The Associated Press.

Officials from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and the Ministry of Transport said investigations were underway to determine the cause of the accident. Early reports suggest poor weather conditions and heavy coastal rainfall may have contributed to the crash.

The Kenya tragedy adds to a growing list of fatal plane crashes across the world in the past year, raising concerns about aviation safety and the operational integrity of small regional airlines.

In July 2025, a Russian passenger plane operated by Angara Airlines crashed in the Amur region near the China border, killing all 40 people on board. The aircraft reportedly lost contact with air traffic controllers while approaching Tynda Airport and went down during its second landing attempt. Emergency officials later confirmed that the An-24 aircraft was “completely destroyed.”

Just months earlier, in December 2024, at least 35 people died after an Azerbaijan Airlines jet with 67 passengers crashed near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan. The plane, flying from Baku to Grozny, reportedly deviated from its route due to dense fog and attempted an emergency landing three kilometres from the airport. Although 28 passengers survived, most of the victims were seated near the front of the plane, where the impact was strongest.