Tsavo: Parents, 2 Children Go Missing Inside National Park, KWS Deploys Aircraft to Aid Search
- A search operation is underway for a family of four, including two children, missing in Tsavo East National Park
- The family has been unaccounted for for two days, prompting urgent rescue efforts by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)
- KWS has deployed both aerial and ground teams to aid in locating the missing tourist family
TUKO.co.ke journalist Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
Taita Taveta — What started as a promising family trip to the Tsavo East National Park has now turned into a desperate search for four missing individuals, including two children.
Source: UGC
The family, which entered the park for a camping trip on Saturday, April 5, was expected to leave by Monday, April 7, but has not been heard from since.
A major search and rescue operation is currently in progress as the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) intensifies efforts to locate the family.
According to a statement by KWS seen by TUKO.co.ke, the family was initially expected to leave the park via Sala Gate on Monday after spending a few days camping at Luggards Falls Special Campsite.
"A large scale search and rescue operation is underway for a missing family of four in Tsavo East National Park...The family entered the park on Saturday through the Manyani Gate and were expected to camp for two nights at Luggards Falls Special Campsite," KWS said in the statement.
When authorities noticed their absence, the search began along the route from the campsite to the gate. Since then, the search operation has expanded, incorporating aerial surveillance and ground teams in an effort to cover the vast expanse of the park.
KWS has deployed two fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and multiple ground vehicles, including three land cruisers, to aid in the search.
Despite the enormous size of Tsavo East National Park, which is one of Kenya’s largest and most remote wildlife areas, rescue teams have been working tirelessly, navigating through the rugged terrain in hopes of locating the family.
"When park authorities realised the visitors had not left by 8pm, they launched an immediate ground search along the route from Luggards Falls to Sala Gate. The operation expanded overnight to include aerial support, with efforts still ongoing... KWS has deployed two fixed-wing aircrafts, a helicopter, and three land cruisers to locate two parents and their two children," the statement added.
Source: UGC
Lost Kenyan boy found after 6 days in Tsavo
In a related story, a four-year-old boy was rescued after going missing for six days in the wilderness. The boy had been herding livestock with his brothers near the park when he got lost during a storm.
Source: UGC
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust dispatched pilot Roan Carr-Hartley after a local chief requested aerial support. The pilot feared the worst, given the heavy rains, dangerous wildlife, and lack of food.
Miraculously, Roan spotted the boy while flying over the area, just as he had turned to begin a new search path. Roan circled above him until the ground team, alerted by the plane’s movements, reached and rescued the child.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
