VARIOUS: Kenya Airways plane with 114 people on board crashes in a densely forested area of southern Cameroon

The search is on for a Kenyan Airways plane that is believed to have crashed shortly after take off from Cameroon on route to Nairobi, Kenya. As anxious relatives still wait for news of the plane, the Kenyan Transport Minister has asked the US for satellite communications information to help track the planes route. A Kenya Airways passenger plane with 114 people on board crashed in a densely forested area of southern Cameroon on Saturday (May 5) shortly after takeoff, government and aviation officials said. Military and civil aviation helicopters were scouring a wide zone in the central African country between Kribi on the Atlantic coast and Ngomedzap, south of the capital Yaounde. "The search is underway but the accident site has not yet been found," the Transport Ministry said in a statement. State radio earlier reported the plane crashed near Niet, north of the border with Equatorial Guinea, after taking off from Cameroon's second city of Douala. Kenyan Transport Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere said the U.S. government was assisting in the search with satellite images taken over the expected flight path. "The government of Kenya has approached the American government to assist Kenyan and Cameroonian civil aviation authorities with satellite communication info that will assist in tracking the plane's flight path and hopefully establish the fate of flight 507." said Mwakwere to journalists at a news conference. Kenya Airways said the 737-800 airliner, which began its journey in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan and stopped over in Cameroon, was carrying 105 passengers and nine crew. Officials had earlier said there were 106 passengers. In Nairobi, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director Titus Naikuni said authorities in Cameroon had picked up an automatic distress signal from the area where the plane went missing. "The latest information that we have is that a distress signal was picked up on the west coast of Africa and a search and rescue mission initiated by Cameroonian authorities was initiated at 1105 (0805GMT) this morning, that is Nairobi time. So far no report has been received from this mission." he said. Naikuni then confirmed the nationalities of those on board - 34 Cameroonians, 15 Indians, seven South Africans, six Chinese, five Britons and one American among the passengers, the bulk of whom were from African countries. The nine crew were all Kenyans. In an earlier news conference, the company said the Douala control tower had received the last message from the aircraft right after takeoff. The plane had been due to land in Nairobi at 6:15 a.m. (0315 GMT). "The last message message from the aircraft was received by the control tower in Douala immediately after take off but there after the tower lost contact with the aircraft. So far we have not and nor has the tower been able to establish contact with the aircraft" said Naikuni said. Kenyan Transport Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere said the U.S. government was assisting in the search with satellite images taken over the expected flight path. Kenya Airways, one of Africa's few profitable carriers, set up a crisis centre to monitor events and a passenger information centre at a hotel in Nairobi. Friends and relatives of those on board have gathered at Kenya's international airport in Nairobi as they await any news of their loved ones. The carrier generally has a good safety record on a continent where air accidents are above the world average. The plane was six months old and had no history of problems, Naikuni said. Kenyan media reported there was rain in Douala when the plane took off. On January 30, 2000, a Kenya Airways Airbus A-310 crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Abidjan, killing 169 of the 179 passengers and crew.

ITN Source | May 6, 2007

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