A helicopter carrying safari tourists crashed in a remote area of northern Kenya, killing all seven people on board, including an Ecuadorian intelligence official and an American journalist.
According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the helicopter went down at 9:13 a.m. local time (6:13 GMT) on Wednesday while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County. The agency said an investigation is underway.
Local authorities confirmed there were six passengers and one pilot on board. Samburu County Police Commander David Nkoroi told reporters that all seven people had died but did not release their identities.
On the same day, Ecuador's Transport Minister Roberto Luque said the head of the country's National Intelligence Agency, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife, Stephany Hollihan, were among the victims. Sensi-Contugi, 42, a former businessman, was appointed to lead Ecuador's National Intelligence Center in 2024 and was a close ally of conservative President Daniel Noboa.
U.S. media company NBCUniversal confirmed that its journalist Jose Alberto Suarez, currently chairman and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49, and Telemundo Fort Myers–Naples, died in the crash. A State Department spokesperson said five Americans were among the victims and that the U.S. Embassy is in contact with local authorities to provide consular assistance.
According to local media, the helicopter crashed in a hilly area at the foot of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination. The aircraft was owned by Lady Lori Helicopters and was operating a chartered flight for travel company &Beyond, which confirmed the flight was following its scheduled route. Safari operator Tropic Air Kenya said it dispatched two helicopters to assist in search and rescue efforts. The aviation authority identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC130 B4.
Kenya Red Cross said emergency response teams were involved in a multi-agency rescue effort to reach the scene. According to the Daily Nation newspaper, as of Wednesday evening, three bodies were still trapped in the wreckage, and the search was suspended until the next morning because a fire had not yet been extinguished at the crash site.
Helicopter crashes have become increasingly frequent in Kenya, a country with a thriving tourism industry, where domestic carriers often fly visitors to remote destinations like Mount Ololokwe. In February, a Kenyan lawmaker was among six people killed in a helicopter crash in the western highlands.
