A safari helicopter has crashed in a remote district of northern Kenya, killing all seven people on board, including five American citizens and the director of Ecuador's national intelligence service, local police and the US State Department have confirmed.
The fatal accident occurred on Wednesday morning in Samburu County. The charter aircraft was carrying six passengers and one pilot when it went down at about 9.13am local time. Officials at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter had been flying from the Loisaba Conservancy, a wildlife reserve and safari destination in northern Kenya, towards the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County when the incident occurred.
David Nkoroi, the police commander for Samburu, said late on Wednesday that emergency responders had confirmed all seven people aboard the aircraft had died. Aviation regulators said an investigation into the cause of the crash was under way.
Ecuador's government confirmed later on Wednesday that Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of the country's National Intelligence Center, died in the crash. Sensi-Contugi, a close associate and personal friend of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, had been visiting Kenya as a tourist alongside his wife, Stephany Hollihan, who was also killed.
Hollihan held dual citizenship in both the United States and Ecuador. A preliminary police report from the Archers Post police station listed both Sensi-Contugi and Hollihan as tourists. The couple is survived by their two children.
In a statement posted on X, the presidency of Ecuador expressed grief over the loss, saying: "In this moment of deep sorrow, the government extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and close associates."
The US State Department confirmed that five of those killed were American citizens. A spokesperson for the department said American diplomatic personnel were in contact with officials in Kenya, stating: "The US Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance." The spokesperson added: "We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss."
Although authorities have not formally released the identities of all seven victims, a local television news station in Miami, Florida, reported that 55-year-old José Suárez was among those killed. Suárez served as president and general manager of several Telemundo television stations in Florida for the US-based Spanish-language network, which is owned by NBCUniversal.
An NBC affiliate station in Miami quoted a joint statement issued by leadership at NBCUniversal and Telemundo mourning the executive, which said: "We are heartbroken to learn the tragic news that José was killed in a helicopter accident in Kenya."
Civil aviation authorities identified the downed aircraft as a Eurocopter EC130 B4. The helicopter was owned by local aviation company Lady Lori Helicopters and was carrying guests travelling with the luxury tour agency &Beyond. Lady Lori Helicopters confirmed in an official statement that the aircraft had been operating a private charter flight at the time of the crash.
Local media outlets reported that the aircraft crashed in a rugged and hilly area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in the country. Representatives for &Beyond said the underlying cause of the fatal crash remained to be determined.
Search and recovery efforts at the scene encountered severe difficulties. According to the Kenya Red Cross, recovery operations were being significantly hampered by the challenging, rugged terrain of the mountain foothills as well as an active fire that broke out at the crash site.
After the crash, regional safari operator Tropic Air Kenya said it had dispatched two helicopters to the area to help local authorities and emergency teams with search and rescue operations.
Helicopter crashes have occurred with increasing frequency in Kenya, where a substantial tourism sector relies heavily on domestic aviation carriers to fly international visitors to remote locations such as Mount Ololokwe. The disaster follows another fatal crash earlier this year, when a legislator was among six people who died in a helicopter crash in a hilly area of western Kenya in February.
