Seven people, including six tourists and a pilot, have been killed after a helicopter crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, northern Kenya.
Gatekeepers News reports that the helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning while carrying tourists on a chartered flight in the area, according to reports. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the accident and said investigations into the cause of the crash had commenced.
The aircraft, a Eurocopter EC130 B4 operated by Lady Lori Helicopters, was reportedly travelling from the Loisaba Conservancy towards the Ewaso Nyiro area when it went down near Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in Samburu.
Luxury safari company &Beyond confirmed that the helicopter was carrying some of its guests, while local authorities began recovery operations at the crash site.
The Kenya Red Cross and other emergency teams were deployed following the incident, although the remote and difficult terrain around the crash site complicated the response.
Initial reports had said several tourists were feared dead, but subsequent reports confirmed that all seven people aboard the helicopter died in the crash.
The identities and nationalities of all the victims were not immediately released. However, reports later identified one of the victims as José Alberto Suárez, a United States journalist and executive at several Telemundo stations.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine what caused the helicopter to crash. The incident comes as Kenya continues to rely heavily on helicopter and aircraft operations for tourism activities, particularly in its remote safari destinations.
