Ecuador's spy chief, 5 Americans killed as luxury safari helicopter crashes at sacred Kenyan mountain
Ecuador's intelligence chief and five U.S. citizens died when a tourist helicopter crashed in central Kenya on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, officials said.
A luxury safari helicopter carrying seven people crashed into a sacred Kenyan mountain in Samburu County, north of Nairobi, on Wednesday, killing everyone on board. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed no survivors, with rescue efforts hampered by difficult terrain. The aircraft had departed from the Loisaba wildlife reserve.
Ecuador's Transport Minister, Roberto Luque, identified the victims as intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife Stephany. Sensi-Contugi, 42, was a former businessman and recent head of Ecuador's National Intelligence Center, close to President Daniel Noboa, who has aligned Kenya with U.S. efforts against drug cartels.
An American spokesperson confirmed five American citizens died in the crash. Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo reported that NBCUniversal executive Jose Alberto Suarez also perished. The crash site, located at the base of Mount Ololokwe, a 2,000-meter-high mountain considered sacred by the Samburu people and a popular hiking spot, was afire when images were shared on X. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which confirmed operations were suspended until tomorrow due to darkness and the scene's complexity.
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