This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
Locust Swarm Forces Ethiopian Airlines Plane to Divert ¶
On a day when locust swarms were wreaking havoc in Kenya, an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane took an unexpected detour on January 9, 2020, after flying into a swarm of locusts.
The plane, which was scheduled to land in Dire Dawa, was forced to divert to Addis Ababa due to reduced visibility caused by the locusts.
According to the BBC, a spokesman for the airline confirmed that the plane was diverted by the swarm of insects but did not provide further details of the incident.
Kenya has been grappling with a locust invasion, with various regions affected and the government spraying pesticide to combat the pests.
Former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Mwangi Kiunjuri had warned of the potential for rapid spread to other countries, posing an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods in the country.
"The fight against this invasion is not without challenges, first of all they are trans-boundary pests that need to be tackled through a regional strategy to ensure that they are attacked from their resting habitats," Kiunjuri said.
