An eye witness has detailed the final moments before a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helicopter crashed at Kanyonga in Kithyoko, Masinga Sub-county on Monday, July 14.
Ann Kaluki, who was working on her farm, narrated that she saw a plane flying too low and immediately told her friend that she suspected that the plane would crash.
“I saw a plane falling towards us and I started screaming. My screams attracted a huge crowd,” Kaluki told Daily Nation.
Soon after, Kaluki stated that the helicopter fell on nearby trees.
When she took a closer look, she realized that one of the pilots was still alive and called on other locals to come and help.
However, the locals were hesitant and assumed that they would be infected with COVID-19.
“Those young men came and found him still strapped by his seat belt, but speculation on coronavirus and fear of the plane bursting into flames made them fear,” she disclosed.
Another witness backed up Kaluki’s sentiments, stating that the injured pilot raised his hand but locals did not know how to conduct first aid on him.
“We just stood there fearing he could be infected with Covid-19,” he weighed in.
A statement released by KDF on Monday indicated that the occupants in the plane were senior military officers of the rank of Major, who were on a training flight.
“Onboard were two pilots, who have since been evacuated from the crash site,” KDF stated.
The incident came a month after an AgustaWestland AW119 chopper registration number 5Y NPW on June 13, crashed at a farm in Kaithe Kithoka, Meru County.
