5 Americans among 7 killed in Kenya safari helicopter crash

A helicopter carrying tourists on a safari crashed in a remote part of northern Kenya, killing all seven people on board. The accident occurred in Samburu County, near Lolokwe Mountain, on Wednesday morning. According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the helicopter, an Eurocopter EC130 B4, was flying from Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro with seven people on board when it crashed at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time.

The victims included five Americans, identified as Roger Duarte, Adam Navaty, Stephen Vascanknez, Henry Parra, and Michele Contugi, and Suarez. Ecuador's intelligence chief, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife Suarez were also among the victims, according to Ecuadorian sources. The pilot, Josh Outran, was also killed in the crash. The Kenya Red Cross reported that difficult terrain hampered rescue operations.

The US Embassy is providing consular assistance to the families of the victims, and Ecuador's transport minister Roberto Luque expressed condolences to the families of Sensi-Contugi and his wife. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department are investigating the cause of the crash.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, KahawaTungu, Free Malaysia Today, RTE News, The Guardian — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.