Bodies from Aberdares plane crash identified

By Simiyu Wanjala

All the bodies from the wreckage of the plane crash at the Aberdares have been positively identified.

According to Fly SAX boss Mohamed Ahmed, the process was led by Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor.

He added that the next procedure is a postmortem of the ten bodies.

Families and next of kin also gathered at the Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi to identify the victims’ belongings.

They however lamented that the exercise was too slow and at one point were refrained from entering the Lee Funeral Home to view the bodies.

Nyandarua County Governor Francis Kimemia, who was also present during the exercise, however urged them to be patient.

“We are calling on you to assist the relevant authorities in concluding the exercise,” he said.

The missing plane was found in Njabini, Kinangop after almost 48 hours.

A search and rescue operation had to be called off twice owing to poor weather conditions.

Officers from the Kenya Defense Force (KDF), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Red Cross, the National Disaster Management Authority and other agencies had to climb the mountainous terrain for several hours before they reached the wreckage.

Locals helped carry the bodies downhill as aerial intervention was impossible due to the persistent foggy weather.

The plane crash occurred on Tuesday evening after the aircraft left Kitale enroute to Nairobi.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) control tower lost communication with the pilot at 5:20pm, its scheduled arrival time.