1 month on: Grieving families pray bodies of chopper victims found

Families and friends of two helicopter crash victims are still camping at Lake Nakuru, praying the bodies of their loved ones will be retrieved.

They are receiving grief counselling. 

It’s one month since the crash took place. Still missing are Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika’s bloggers Sam Gitau and John Mapozi.

They were among five people aboard the chopper, including blogger Antony Kipyegon, pilot Apolo Malowa and Kihika’s friend Veronica Muthoni.

All five were killed. The helicopter was pulled from the water on Friday. No bodies were in the fuselage.

The wreckage, which was 70 per cent intact, was 2.44km from the western end of the lake and was about 5.4m deep.

The bodies of Malowa and Kipyegon were retrieved in October 23. Muthoni’s body was retrieved on Friday. The recovery of Muthoni’s body rekindled hopes that the remaining two will also be found.

“We have been camping at the lake shore since the crash happened, hoping our loved ones will be rescued. We are helpless. We can only wait and see if the recovery will be successful,” William Mwangi, Gitau’s father, said.

He said he had lost his only son, a pillar of his extended family. Gitau was the first born in a family of four.

Desk officer Jonathan Kertich of the National Disaster Operation Centre promised the families they will search the waters to find the bodies.

The search has been extended to land around the lake, he said.

Kertich said the search has been difficult because the water is murky.

Experts from the Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association are at the site. Families of the victims have already received support from them and the Red Cross.

Yesterday, the wreck was transported by road to Nairobi for investigation into the cause of the crash.

“We have the flight data recorders for further investigations,” officer Mathias Ombasa of the Aircraft Investigations Department said yesterday.

“We have not found the chopper’s tail boom yet, but we have a strong rescue team and pray the recovery mission will be successful.”

The search has involved more than 40 divers, including the Sonko Rescue Team, the Kenya Navy, Kenya Police, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service and divers from Naivasha.

Director Charles Owino of the National National Disaster Operation Centre said they were following crucial leads to find the bodies.

He said searchers have zeroed in on the area where two bodies and Mapozi’s clothes were discovered.