Seven people died when a safari helicopter crashed Wednesday morning in a remote area of northern Kenya, according to local police.
The aircraft crashed at 9:13 a.m. while flying from the Loisaba Nature Reserve toward the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. It stated that there were seven people on board: six passengers and the pilot.
Late Wednesday, David Nkoroi, the police commander of Samburu, told reporters that all seven people on board had died. The victims' identities were not released.
According to local media, the helicopter crashed in a rugged area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in the country. The aircraft, owned by the local company Lady Lori Helicopters, was transporting guests of the travel company &Beyond. Lady Lori Helicopters said in a statement that the helicopter was operating a charter flight when it crashed.
Tropic Air Kenya, a local safari operator, said in a statement that it sent two of its helicopters to assist in the search and rescue operations.
The aviation authority said the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC130 B4.
The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency response teams were “participating in a multi-agency response effort as rescue teams work to access the crash site.”
Helicopter crashes are becoming increasingly common in Kenya, which has a dynamic tourism industry that relies on domestic airlines to transport visitors to remote locations such as Mount Ololokwe.
In February, six people died after a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of western Kenya.
Who are the confirmed dead?
The Ecuadorian presidency confirmed on its X account the death of the director of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife, Stephany Hollihan.
In addition, the death of José Alberto Suárez, president and general manager of three local Telemundo networks in Florida (USA), was confirmed .
The death of Roger Duarte , businessman and prominent figure in Miami's gastronomy, was also confirmed .
The U.S. State Department reported that five of the seven fatalities were Americans, although their identities have not yet been confirmed.
So what were US business people doing in Kenya with Ecuadorian intelligence. 🤔 Surely nothing untoward, the empire would never...