NAIROBI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 were killed early Monday when a Kenyan military aircraft carrying 17 passengers, including several members of parliament, crashed in the northern part of the east African nation.

    One of the four severely injured passengers who were rescued from the crash site near the northern town of Marsabit succumbed to injuries on arrival at Wilson Airport in Nairobi.

    The lawmakers in the ill-fated aircraft included Mirugi Kariuki,assistant minister in the Office of the President, and lawmakers from Marsabit and Isiolo -- Godana Bonaya, Titus Ngoyoni, Abdi Sasura and Guracha Galgalo, said a military official.

    The lawmakers were traveling to Marsabit, 450 km north-east of the Kenya's capital Nairobi, to mediate in a quarrel between rival communities.

    The plane crashed into a hill as it approached the airstrip during a heavy downpour and the foggy weather could have contributed to the crash, said government officials.

    The government said in a statement that it had dispatched senior officials to the crash scene, adding that rescue teams were also on the ground to support the operations.

    "The government has dispatched a search and rescue team to support operations that are in progress. We will be providing you with more information as we receive it," Defense Minister Njenga Karume said in a statement.

    Karume, together with Inter Security Minister John Michuki and police boss Maj.Gen. Hussein Ali, have flown to the crash site. Enditem