Nairobi – A Kenyan cargo plane crashed into a building soon after takeoff killing four people on Wednesday.
The plane was heading to Somalia with a cargo of khat, a herbal stimulant which is to be eaten fresh.
“A Fokker 50 cargo plane with four people on board has this morning crashed at a commercial building,” after taking off from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Kenya Airports authority said in a statement.
The crash occurred before dawn at a time when the building is usually empty.
According to Kenyan police, all who were on board died.
“All four on board perished… it hit an electric post before crashing on a building and bursting into flames,” a senior police officer said.
The area around the airport includes a mix of both industrial zones with factories, as well as housing and shops.
Kenya Red Cross said that one body had been recovered with “search and rescue ongoing” for more.
Airports Authority security chief Eric Kiraithe said the airport was briefly closed for “a few minutes as a matter of procedure”, but had now opened.
“The airport is now operating normally,” he said.
The area around the plane was sealed off by police and security forces.
The khat cargo comprised of leaves and shoots ,the shrub Catha edulis, which are chewed to obtain mild euphoria.
Khat, also called miraa, has been chewed for centuries in the Horn of Africa.
Its psychoactive ingredients — cathinone and cathine — are similar to amphetamines but weaker, and can help chewers stay awake and talkative.
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