Tourist plane crashes in Kenya on way to world-famous reserve — killing everyone on board

A plane carrying tourists in Kenya crashed and burst into flames on Tuesday en route to a world-famous wilderness reserve — killing all 11 people on board, authorities said.

The small aircraft slammed into a hilly and wooded area about 25 miles from Diani, a popular coastal town, authorities in the East African nation said.

Witnesses heard a loud bang and found the charred wreckage, along with unrecognizable human remains, at the scene of the crash.

The Cessna Caravan-type aircraft was en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, carrying eight Hungarian and two German passengers, when it crashed at around 5:30 a.m. local time, killing all passengers on board, including the Kenyan pilot, the airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement.

The pilot failed to communicate with airport traffic control upon departure, as they tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located, the airline said.

Maasai Mara National Reserve is around a two hour flight from Diani, a popular tourist destination known for its white sandy beaches along the Indian Ocean.

The reserve attracts huge numbers of tourists every year to witness the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in neighboring Tanzania.

With Post wires