Safari Express plane bound for Magadi from Mwanza goes missing

raft with three passengers that had left Mwanza, Tanzania, for Magadi in Kenya has gone missing.

The aircraft, registration 5YSXP and operated by Safari Express Limited, had left Mwanza Airport on Sunday at around 4.26pm.

Upon reaching an altitude of 14,000 feet, it lost communication with the radar at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The area control manager at JKIA's control tower, Mr Peter Clever Davor, said that the aircraft had not been traced.

Kenya Airports Police Unit (KAPU) commandant Joseph ole Tito on Monday morning confirmed that the aircraft was missing.

“The aircraft has not been located and the details we have are very scanty,” he said.

The Kenya Police Airwing dispatched an aircraft as the search-and-rescue mission began.

The missing plane, a Fokker F-27-500, manufactured by Fokker, is a cargo aircraft.

FLY THROUGH JKIA

The aircraft was to fly through JKIA before proceeding to its destination in Magadi.

Flights from neighbouring countries are supposed to fly through JKIA, Wilson or Wajir airports for reverse screening.

Plans are also under way to include the Kisumu airport as another entry point.