The recovery exercise of five bodies and the wreckage of a chopper that crashed in Lake Nakuru on Saturday morning has been suspended.
National Disaster Management Unit Deputy Director Pius Masai said the operation will resume on Sunday.
"It's dark and we had to suspend the recovery exercise. This is also a wildlife inhabited area hence we have to make sure our team is safe," he said.
Masai said oil spills had been spotted on the eastern side of the Lake giving indications that the chopper might have come down around that location.
The search operation is being conducted by officers from the
National Police Service and
the Kenya Navy among other departments.
The first rescue boat from the Naivasha Fisheries Department ventured into the lake at 2pm with divers and KWS officers.
The helicopter was carrying 5 people, four passengers and a pilot, when it came down in the la ake at around 7am.
Wairimu Musindi and Essy Damian, friends to those who were on board, are overcome by grief at the scene of the search operation, October 21. /COURTESY
The crash happened
moments after take off from Jarika Hotel, Nakuru.
Members of Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika's media team are said to be among those who were on board.
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The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said
in a statement
those on board included a male pilot, three male passengers and a female passenger.
The names of the victims have however not been released.
KCAA said the plane is owned and operated by Flex Air Charters.
The chopper was said to have been headed to Narok for Jubilee campaigns.
"It left the hotel at 7am to Narok but crashed in the Lake," Nakuru OCPD Joshua Omukatta said.
Nakuru leaders led by Governor Lee Kinyanjui, Nakuru East MP David Gikaria, Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama are
among politicians who camped at the Lake during the recovery exercise.
Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara and Nakuru woman rep Liza Chelule
were also present.
The
recovery exercise will resume on Sunday morning, Masai said.
Part of the search and rescue team get to work in Lake Nakuru, Saturday, October 21. /RITA DAMARY