Five Americans and Ecuador’s intelligence chief were among seven people killed when a tourist helicopter crashed in central Kenya on Wednesday.
The helicopter, carrying guests on a charter flight operated for luxury tour company &Beyond, was travelling from the Loisaba wildlife conservancy toward the Ewaso Ngiro river area when it crashed around 9:13 a.m. near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, north of Nairobi.
Kenyan authorities confirmed that all seven people aboard died. The crash site was reportedly difficult to access, while an active fire hampered search and recovery efforts.
Among the victims were Michele Sensi-Contugi, director general of Ecuador’s intelligence agency, and his wife, fashion designer Stephany Hollihan. Ecuadorian authorities described Sensi-Contugi’s death as a major loss for the country.
José Suárez, an executive with Spanish-language television company Telemundo, was also killed. Suárez was president and general manager of several Telemundo-owned stations.
The U.S. State Department confirmed that five Americans were among the victims and said the U.S. Embassy was providing consular assistance to families.
The aircraft was a Eurocopter EC130 B4, now known as the Airbus H130, a single-engine helicopter commonly used for sightseeing and charter operations.
The cause of the crash remains unknown. Kenya’s civil aviation authorities have launched an investigation to determine what went wrong.
Samburu County is a popular safari destination known for its remote wilderness, wildlife conservancies and dramatic landscapes.
The tragedy has shocked the families, colleagues and communities connected to those aboard the helicopter as investigators begin examining the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.
