The search efforts for a plane, registration number 5Y-CAC which went missing on Tuesday around 5pm after take off from Kitale, are set to go a notch higher after phone signal was traced to Aberdare forest near Kinangop. However, search and rescue efforts have been affected by bad weather. The last time the plane was seen on radar it was at 40 nautical miles from Nairobi, flying at 11,000ft above sea level.
The search efforts, which resumed on Wednesday morning, are being carried out by different teams including teams from AAID, KCAA, KWS and the Kenya Air force. The East African Safari Air Express plane had 8 passengers and 2 crew members, and speaking on Wednesday morning, director George Kivindyo said an official statement on the search and the conclusive results will be given from the government.
He said the plane lost contact with the control tower at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and at first it was thought to be a radio failure, although at the moment they aren’t sure what happened. The families of the passengers assembled at Weston hotel, as they were briefed on the issue and told the way forward.
Moreover, a Red Cross vehicle which was ferrying a rescue team to help with the search efforts was involved in an accident near Ol Kalou, and victims were rushed to JM Kariuki Memorial Hospital, in Ol Kalou.