Helicopter Crashed In Kenya: 10 Dead Including Defense Chief; President Ordered Investigation
Nairobi : Kenya’s defense chief Francis Omondi Ogola died in a helicopter crash on Thursday. Along with him, 9 more people aboard the helicopter also lost their lives. Kenyan President William Ruto gave information regarding the incident. Kenya’s defense chief and nine other top officials died in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country on Thursday, President William Ruto said.
According to the information received, 61-year-old Francis Omondi Ogola was on the post of Kenya’s Defense Chief for only one year. Ogola, a trained fighter pilot, was soon to complete 40 years of military service. Ogola’s helicopter crashed on Thursday afternoon shortly after taking off from the village of Chassegon, where he and his entourage were visiting a school after stopping in other areas to see Kenyan troops and other sites.
Speaking with the media about this, Kenyan President William Ruto said, “Today at 2:20 pm our country suffered a tragic air accident… I am pleased to thank General Francis Omondi, Chief of the Kenya Defense Forces (CDF). “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ogola.”
The President had called an immediate meeting of the National Security Council after the news of the accident came to light. During this, he said that along with the Defense Chief, nine other “gallant military personnel” aboard the ship were also killed, while two survived. Ruto said the Kenya Air Force had sent an investigation team to establish the cause of the crash, which occurred in Elgeyo Marakwet County, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.
