KAJIADO, Kenya, Jun 24- A military chopper has crashed in Kajiado County, killing 17 soldiers according to authorities.
The Mi 171e Air Force Helicopter was on a training mission when it crash landed.
During the incident, the helicopter chopper had 23 soldiers aboard.
The incident happened in Ole Tepesi Area in Ngong, Kajiado County.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesperson Col. Zipporah Kioko said all passengers aboard the KAF Helicopter Mi 171 E at 9am were accounted for and moved to safety.
“The injured were airlifted and are at the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital, Nairobi. The entire KF fraternity wishes them quick recovery. Regrettably, following the crash, we suffered fatalities. The process of communicating with the families, to relay the information and KDF condolences are underway,” said Col Kioko in a statement.
Aircraft accident investigators were deployed at the crash site to establish the cause of the accident.
According to eye witness accounts, the helicopter was erratic in movement around Erat shopping center and ended up crashing nearly 7 kilometers away.
A site assesement revealed it was just 300 meters froma church and 200 meters from a rsidential complex with 12 units.
The plane is said to have been headed to a millitary training base in the area.
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