Three orphaned by safari plane crash

The safari adventure should have been the holiday of a lifetime: the children wanted to see Kenya's wild creatures at first hand, while their parents were looking forward to spending more time together as a family.

But an ill-fated charter flight left three sisters orphans after 12 members of the same family were killed when the plane ploughed into Mount Kenya.

Now Jessica, eight, Katie, six, and Hannah, 18 months - who skipped the flight when they stayed behind on the ranch with their nanny - are coming to terms with life on their own.

The crash wiped out not only their parents William and Elizabeth, but also Mrs Love's father, the millionaire American philanthropist George Brumley, Mrs Love's mother, her brother and sister, their partners and three children.

Today a friend of the Loves, who lived in a six-bedroom house in Notting Hill, told the Evening Standard they had specifically hired a private plane because of concerns about the risks of terrorism in the East African country.

"Bill and Beth were absolute sweeties, and so in love," he said. "They were mad about their four daughters, and had a lot of friends here and in Atlanta, where they are from. They had a 4th July Independence Day party in their garden, and there were lots of children running around as always."

The couple, who were childhood friends in North Carolina, moved to London five years ago for Mr Love's job as head of sales and marketing at the European branch of his family packaging firm Printpack.

His colleague Bill Bleasdale said: "Bill loved living in London, and would have liked to stay here, but they were planning to go back to Atlanta this year as he had a new job with the firm lined up.

"Bill always had a smile on his face - he was a fun guy to be with. Very committed to the business but a devoted family-man. We will all miss him terribly." The holiday was organised by Mrs Love's father, Dr Brumley, 68, who gave millions to children's clinics and other charities. His wife, Jean, was a friend of US Senator Elizabeth Dole whose husband Bob Dole was the Republican candidate for president in 1996.

A family friend said: "Dr Brumley had visited Mount Kilimanjaro two years ago and longed to share Africa's wonders with the rest of his family.

"Beth was looking forward to it as she wanted the children to spend more time with their grandparents. No one can believe this has happened - three generations just wiped out like that."

Family members have pledged between them to raise the five children orphaned by the crash. They have since flown back to America.

Penny Morrell, 66, whose son Richard also died, said: "They have shown tremendous resilience. We have surrounded them every bit of love."

The 12 holidaymakers died with the plane's two South African pilots when it crashed as clouds cleared during a 30-minute flight from Nairobi to Samburu in northern Kenya on Saturday.

Aviation authorities in Kenya have yet to identify the cause of the crash, but one suggestion is that the pilots became lost at 16,000ft.

The others who died were Dr Brumley, 68, his 67-year-old wife Jean, their son George III, 42, his wife Julia, 42, and their children George IV, 14, and Jordan, 12, the Brumleys' other daughter Lois, 39, her husband Richard Morrell, 43, and their 11-year-old son Alex.

The first of two memorial services took place yesterday at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and the second will be held tomorrow.