A Fly 540 passenger plane en route to Wilson Airport in Nairobi made an emergency landing just five minutes after takeoff from Kapese Airstrip in Turkana South Sub-County on Friday morning.
The 5Y-CGH plane with 49 passengers and five crew members is said to have landed safely in an open field.
“All the crew members and passengers are confirmed safe after the incident,” Turkana County Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said.
He noted that all the passengers have been evacuated and arrangements were being made to have another airplane fly them to Nairobi.
The airline cited engine failure after a suspected foreign object hit the aircraft.
Fly540 said the incident will lead to delays in scheduled services over the next few days.
The police boss said the initial assessment showed that the plane was not damaged during the landing.
In October last year, there was a scare after a Silverstone Air plane’s rear right wheel dropped off mid-air moments after take off from Lodwar Airstrip.
The plane’s wheel was found a few metres from the airstrip. The plane had four passengers and five crew members.