Kenyan president confirms military chief's death in plane crash
Release time：2024-05-21 21:03:55 Source：Culture Chronicle news portal
-
NAIROBI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President William Ruto confirmed that military chief Francis Ogolla was among 10 senior commanders killed in a helicopter crash in the northwestern part of the country on Thursday. Ruto said Ogolla, chief of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), was aboard the KDF Huey helicopter with 11 other military personnel. The helicopter took off from a local primary school in Elgeyo Marakwet County when it went down and burst into flames at about 2:20 p.m. local time (1120 GMT). Ruto, speaking at a televised news conference in the national capital of Nairobi, said that 10 military officers, including Ogolla, died in the crash, while two others survived and are now hospitalized. "This is a moment of great sadness," he added. The president said that Ogolla left Nairobi in the morning to visit troops deployed in the troubled region to fight bandits and inspect ongoing school renovation work. The Kenya Air Force has formed and dispatched an aviation investigation team to determine the cause of the crash, Ruto said. He also announced that the nation will observe a three-day period of mourning beginning Friday to honor the life and distinguished military career of the fallen general, who lost his life not only while in office but also while on active military duty. Witnesses said that the KDF helicopter crashed two kilometers away and burst into flames moments after taking off from an area along the troubled Elgeyo Marakwet-West Pokot border. "We saw the chopper come down, and when we rushed to the scene, we found the chopper in flames," said Evans Kipkosgei, a resident, adding that the site was immediately cordoned off by KDF officers stationed in the Kerio Valley. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan sent a condolence message to Ruto following Ogolla's death. "I am sending my condolences to the Kenyan commander-in-chief of the armed forces, President William Ruto, all Kenyans, and the families, relatives, and friends of all who have lost their lives in the accident," she said on her X platform, formerly Twitter.
（Editor:Liao Yifan）
- Previous：Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment fails in acrimonious end to legislative session
- Next：US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
Related articles
- This Week: Home sales, Fed meeting minutes and consumer sentiment index
- Ecuador embroiled in diplomatic backlash after police break into Mexican embassy
- India's top court refuses to hold appointment of election commissioners
- Xi's article calls on young officials to shoulder mission of the times
- Kylie Jenner displays her VERY edgy fashion sense in cleavage
- Senior CPC official stresses study of Xi's works
- CPC leadership arranges work on flood prevention and relief, post
- India's top court refuses to hold appointment of election commissioners
- Trump accepts a VP debate but wants it on Fox News. Harris has already said yes to CBS
- Xi replies to letter from Chinese paratroopers
- Fresh heartache for cancer
- Xi's vision can serve as pillar of multilateralism
- Oswaldo Cabrera homers, Yankees survive late scare, beat Guardians 3
- Chinese vice premier stresses deepening SOE reform
- Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a Canadian man once held at Guantanamo
- Oswaldo Cabrera homers, Yankees survive late scare, beat Guardians 3
- Chinese premier calls for better communication, exchanges among international community
- Xi encourages customs workers to better serve nation
- Candice Swanepoel wows in a shimmering black flared jumpsuit as she joins ab
- Search continues in Maine as officer is charged with lying about taking missing person to hospital
Random recommendation
Beijing, Paris eye fruitful cooperationXi Meets Sri Lankan PM in BeijingPanda program continues to boost ChinaFishermen detail fatal rammingNew UK sanctions targeting Chinese companies over Ukraine crisis are unilateralism：embassyProtection efforts lift crested ibis populationU.S. urged to stop harassing, interrogating Chinese students entering countryBeijing, Paris eye fruitful cooperationEvent to promote love of reading to be held in KunmingWang urges UK to take ties back on track
- Copyright © 2024 Powered by Kenyan president confirms military chief's death in plane crash ,Culture Chronicle news portal sitemap