10 people including two Fijians have passed away in Kenya after a Cesna C208 aircraft from the small town of Kitale bound for Nairobi International Airport crashed in the Aberdare forest.
The Fijian missionary and his teenage son were among passengers of the small single engine aircraft that crashed on Tuesday.
Eight passengers and two pilots died in the incident and their bodies were recovered from the wreckage.
The Suva headquarters of the Christian Mission Fellowship International confirmed that 55-year-old Pastor Sakaraia Mataka and his 15‑year old son Paula Tekei were onboard the plane.
FlySax: No survivors in Kenya plane crash. pic.twitter.com/ZjQTJn7Zai
— Nairobi News (@Nairobi_News) June 7, 2018
The church said the missionary and his family have been working in a small, remote town of Kitale in Nairobi for more than 10 years.
They were on their way to Fiji.
Church President and Founder, Reverend Suliasi Kurulo says Pastor Mataka is a faithful and committed servant of the Lord.
55-year-old Pastor Sakaraia Mataka (sitting right) and his 15‑year-old son Paula Tekei (standing right)
The plane is operated by local firm FlySax who in a statement said that it is with a heavy heart that they have received information from teams reaching the crash site that there are no survivors.
Speaking at a press conference, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Transport Paul Maringa said that the families of the ten people have been notified.
A media outlet in Kenya, the Daily Nation reports that the two pilots were reported to be experienced and it is feared the aircraft flew into bad weather over Aberdare forest, 60‑kilometres from its destination.
It says the flight usually takes an hour.
Stay with us this is a developing story.
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