Woman injured as plane carrying ex-MP Murugi crash lands

What you need to know:

  • The light aircraft was attempting to take off from the airstrip at the time of the crash.
  • Witness reports claim that it had already covered the 1.3-kilometre runway but could not lift off properly.
  • It crash landed a few metres from the edge of the runway.

One person has been injured after a plane carrying former Nyeri Town MP Esther Murugi crash-landed at Nyaribo Airstrip outside the town.

The former MP’s daughter-in-law was slightly injured on the forehead following the crash that occurred at around 4pm Wednesday.

Ms Murugi, her daughter-in-law and the pilot were the only people on board.

The former MP and the pilot escaped unhurt following the crash.

The light aircraft was attempting to take off from the airstrip at the time of the crash.

Witness reports claim that it had already covered the 1.3-kilometre runway but could not lift off properly.

BAD WEATHER

Preliminary findings indicate the plane’s systems failed, most likely due weather conditions as it had just started raining at the time of take-off.

It crash landed a few metres from the edge of the runway.

Locals and security guards at the airstrip responded quickly and evacuated the occupants.

The former MP said they were flying back to Nairobi after visiting a bereaved friend in Nyeri.

“We were not that high up when the plane just came down. We thank God we are safe and the pilot for handling the situation very well, otherwise it would have been a different story,” Ms Murugi said.

Police officers visited the scene and sealed off the area pending further investigations into the incident.

Nyeri Central Assistant County Commissioner John Marete said it was too early to identify the exact cause of the crash.

“At the moment all we can say is that the occupants are safe and well. As for the cause, it is too early to tell because the scene has not been inspected by the right specialists. Once they conduct their investigations we will tell what really went wrong,” Mr Marete said.