NAIROBI - A search for a small passenger plane that disappeared in Kenya on Tuesday was called off for the evening but will resume at dawn, Kenyan aviation authorities said late on Tuesday.

The plane had taken off from Kitale, a town in Kenya's west, en route to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the capital, Nairobi, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

It carried eight passengers and two crew members, according to a statement on the website of Fly Sax, the operator of the flight.

"Search and rescue teams ... were activated immediately and have as at this evening yielded no results. They have paused the search for the night and shall resume at first light tomorrow morning," KCAA said.

(Writing by Elias Biryabarema, editing by Larry King)