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All 10 passengers of a small plane, whose wreckage was discovered in central Kenya two days after it went missing, died in the accident, the airline and government said yesterday.

“Unfortunately, from the reports we are getting there are no survivors. The families of the passengers and the crew have been notified and as a ministry, we truly regret this very sad outcome and send out our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” said Paul Maringa, principal secretary of the transport ministry.

A surveillance helicopter spotted the wreckage of the plane belonging to the FlySAX airline near the town of Njabini on the edge of the Aberdares mountain range early Thursday morning.

Search teams were dispatched to the site.

“It is unfortunate. We did not have survivors,” sayd FlySAX chairperson Charles Wako.

The plane, operated by East African Safari Air Express, took off from the western town of Kitale in the late afternoon on Tuesday.

It disappeared off the radar screens at Nairobi International Airport, its final destination, around 80 minutes later, the owners said in a statement.

Kenya has been experiencing heavy rains which along with foggy conditions hampered search efforts.-Reuters