Cessna crashes in Kenya with eight Hungarian tourists aboard, no survivors

A Cessna Caravan aircraft crashed in Kenya early Tuesday morning with eight Hungarian passengers aboard. The small plane took off from the coastal town of Ukunda in Kenya and was headed for the Masai Mara National Reserve, a popular tourist destination, but shortly after takeoff it crashed and caught fire in a wooded area about 40 kilometers from the airport.

According to Mombasa Air Safari which operated the flight, there were 10 people on board in addition to the Kenyan captain, eight of whom were Hungarian citizens and two were German.

John Cleave, president of Mombasa Air Safari, said that based on preliminary information, there were no survivors.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that the Hungarian passengers were two Hungarian families traveling with an acquaintance. He added that he had spoken to the Kenyan foreign minister and had asked for his help in taking swift action, and that the consul of the Hungarian embassy in Kenya was already on his way to the scene, "so we will be able to directly provide all the help we can to the relatives."

"Unfortunately, there are also two minors among the victims. The identification process is ongoing, and as soon as we receive official information about the victims' identities, their relatives will of course be notified. We will assist the victims' relatives in every way we can," said Péter Szijjártó.

"Naturally, we express our sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, and we will do everything in our power to provide all the help we can in this difficult situation," said the foreign minister.

The Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority (according to which there were 12 passengers on board) said it had launched an investigation into the causes of the accident. They said that the plane crashed a few minutes after takeoff and burst into flames, leaving only burnt wreckage at the scene. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a huge explosion at the scene. Stephen Orinde, the Commissioner of Kwale County told the BBC that all the passengers were tourists.

Although the cause of the accident is under investigation, he suggested that the poor weather conditions may have played a role. "The weather is not very good here at the moment. It has been raining since early morning and there has been heavy fog," he said, adding that it was necessary to wait for the results of the investigation.

We have sent questions about the case to the Hungarian Embassy in Kenya as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Early Tuesday afternoon, the Hungarian Prime Minister and the President both expressed their condolences to the families of the victims, with Viktor Orbán saying, "What a tragedy!"