Ecuador intelligence chief and five Americans killed in Kenya helicopter crash

On Wednesday at approximately 09:13 AM (06:13 GMT), a helicopter crash in Samburu county, Kenya resulted in the deaths of Michele Sensi-Contugi, 44, and Stephany Hollihan, 42. Sensi-Contugi was the Ecuadorian intelligence chief and his wife, Hollihan, a fashion designer and US citizen. The crash occurred at Mount Ololokwe, near the Ewaso Nyiro river, which flows through several national reserves.

The helicopter was on a scenic flight from a wildlife conservancy in Loisaba to the river. Five of the seven people on board were Americans, according to a US State Department spokesperson. Sensi-Contugi had been appointed the director of Ecuador's Centre of Strategic Intelligence (CIES) in January 2024 and had previously served as a minister in the president's cabinet.

The Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, has declared three days of national mourning starting from Thursday. The victims included NBCUniversal journalist José Alberto Suárez and Miami restaurateur Roger Duarte. The helicopter operator, Lady Lori Helicopters, expressed its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims.

This is not the first helicopter crash in Kenya; others have occurred in recent years, including one in February that killed six people, including a member of parliament.