Nairobi: At least seven people, including five US citizens and Ecuador’s intelligence chief, were killed when a safari helicopter crashed in a remote area of northern Kenya on Wednesday.
The helicopter was carrying six passengers and a pilot when it crashed near the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular but remote tourist destination in Samburu County.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the Eurocopter EC130 B4 crashed at about 9:13 a.m. local time after departing from the Loisaba wildlife reserve.
The aircraft was travelling towards the Ewaso Nyiro area when the crash occurred. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause.
Video footage circulating on social media showed the smoking wreckage scattered across thickly wooded terrain, with parts of the helicopter still burning.
Five US Citizens Among Those Killed
The US State Department confirmed that five of the six passengers killed were US citizens.
“The US Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance,” the department said, while extending condolences to the victims’ families.
An executive associated with Telemundo, the US-based Spanish-language television network owned by Comcast/NBCUniversal, was reportedly among those killed.
Ecuador Intelligence Chief Among Victims
Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of Ecuador’s Strategic Intelligence Center, was also among the victims.
His wife, who reportedly held US citizenship, was also killed in the crash.
Sensi-Contugi, a former businessman, was a close associate of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who appointed him to head the country’s national intelligence agency in 2024.
Ecuador’s presidency expressed its condolences to Sensi-Contugi’s family, friends and colleagues.
The authorities have not yet released a complete official list of all those killed.
Helicopter Accidents Raise Safety Concerns
The crash has renewed attention on helicopter safety in Kenya, where tourism has expanded and helicopter operators increasingly offer flights to remote wildlife and safari destinations.
Several travel companies operate helicopter tours to areas such as Mount Ololokwe and other difficult-to-access tourist locations.
However, the growth in such operations has also coincided with a number of serious aviation accidents.
In February, another helicopter crashed in a remote wilderness area, killing all six people on board, including a member of Kenya’s Parliament.
Authorities are now investigating the latest crash to establish what caused the helicopter to go down and whether any operational or technical factors contributed to the accident.
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