A Cessna 208 Grand Caravan owned by the Kenyan Government crashed into a coconut farm at Kiunga Airstrip (KE6998), in Lamu County, Kenya on December 17, 2023.
The aircraft, with registration 5Y-GOK, carried 10 people, including seven military officers, a police officer, a pilot and a co-pilot. All 10 escaped with injuries.
According to reports, the passengers were returning to Nairobi after dropping off students in Kiunga for an educational tour.
The 11-year old aircraft was taking off from Kiunga Airstrip at 13:30 local time and was in the initial climb phase when it hit electricity poles and wires. The plane then crashed and burst into flames.
Video footage of the accident was uploaded to X (formerly Twitter) and shows the aircraft in flames. Sounds of an explosion can also be heard coming from the aircraft and dark smoke can be seen enveloping coconut trees.
African media outlet Daily Nation reported that one house caught fire because of the incident.
The passengers and pilots were taken to Kiunga Hospital for initial treatment before being evacuated to Nairobi.
