Security was beefed up along Amani Tiwi Beach hotel amid reports that a plane had crashed on Saturday morning. Security officials led by Kwale County acting police Commander Joseph Omijah visited the area hours after the word went round that an unknown plane had crashed into the Indian Ocean along Tiwi Beach.

Locals and tourists  told journalists at Amani Tiwi Beach that they saw two Kenya Navy ships patrolling the area. “We didn’t see any object falling into the sea, but we have seen two naval ships patrolling in the sea. May be they on a searching mission,” said Amos Juma.

It is claimed the plane crashed 15 miles in the India Ocean from Amani Tiwi seashore. Omijah said that there is nothing so far linking the information going around of the plane crash and the real situation on the ground. “There is nothing at all we have not seen the said plane that has crashed,” he said outside Tiwi hotel.

Chedotum said the reports reached security officials in the area from a local claiming she heard a loud bang in the ocean at around 3:00 am on Saturday morning.

“We have tried to reach Kenya Navy officials, but they are not responding,” said Chedotum.Although the police have ruled out the possibility of the plane crash, it is claimed that fishermen on their daily fishing activities witnessed an object falling in the deep sea, but they could not establish what it was.

“There are claims that some fishermen saw an object falling into the sea but as for us beach operators we have not seen anything,” said Ramadhan Vyombo.

He said it was not easy for a plane to crash into the sea without being noticed. By noon, Red Cross officials were going to the area as police pulled out after realizing there was no evident to establish the authenticity of the claims.

Airport officials at Ukunda Airstrip indicated that there was no plane from their radar that had gone missing.“If there was any plane crash, we should have got signals because there is no plane that enters this territory without us being notified. All planes leaving and coming to Diani are monitored,” said the source that refused to be mentioned. He said most probably the object claimed to have fallen might be particles from the sky.

The search still continues. Keep it at Mpasho for more updates.