About 41 people have survived death narrowly after a small passenger plane crashed-landed at Elwak airstrip in Mandera County. Everyone came out unhurt.
The aircraft - Dash 8 Q100 series – is operated by Skyward Company.
It had departed Nairobi with a scheduled stopover at Elwak airstrip (Kenya), which is located on the Kenya Somalia international border.
The airstrip is used by both civilians and the military. The dilapidated runway is next to the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) Forward Operating Base (FOB), which is a secured military base used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives.
Elwak also lies approximately halfway between Wajir and Mandera towns. The aircraft was then expected to proceed to Mandera Airstrip in the same county.
“There were 2 pilots on board, 2 crews and 37 passengers, all totaling 41 passengers,” a top official in the aviation industry has told K24 Digital.
The official added that the aircraft was registered 5Y GRS.
“All the people are accounted safe. No injury. The aircraft sustained observable damages to the left-wing, the front wing and the left rear wheels,” she added.
“Those who were inside were first evacuated and then helped to locate the luggage. But they are all fine.”
This comes a week after another aircraft that was was monitoring the locust invasion crashed in the Naivasha Ndabibi area killing one person. Two other people were left with injuries.
The course of the accident had not been established by time of publishing this report.
