Three Crewmen Escape Without Injury

All three crew members escaped without injury Saturday after a charter cargo plane hired by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) crashed and burst into flames moments after take off from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya. The plane had been chartered to ferry, among other supplies, 14 drums of jet fuel to Baidoa, Somalia.

The aircraft, owned by Kenyan aviation firm the Sky Relief Services, is the only aircraft allowed to fly the route from Kenya to Somalia. ICRC officials say it was on a huminatarian aid mission providing relief to Somalia's flood victims. The plane crashed only three minutes after take off, according to Nairobi's East African Standard. ICRC director Jean Claude said the aircraft developed engine trouble and was unable to return the field.

Witnesses and police said as the plane descended it hit a utility wire before landing on its nose and skidding forward. The crew were able to issue a distress call before the crash alerting rescuers with the airport police who helped the three escape the wreckage before it burst into flames.

"The pilot said it was engine trouble, but investigations were still continuing," a Kenyan civil aviation source said. The crash occurred in the early morning Saturday, as light rains and bad weather was reported across Nairobi.
The Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority has launched investigations into the crash.

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is the largest and busiest airport in East and Central Africa.

FMI: www.icrc.org