Seven people, mostly foreign tourists, killed in helicopter crash in Kenya

What the report says

A helicopter carrying tourists on a safari crashed in Samburu County in northern Kenya on Wednesday morning, killing all seven people aboard, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing Kenyan authorities. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft went down at 9:13am local time while traveling from the Loisaba Conservancy toward the Ewaso Nyiro area. Officials said an investigation was under way, and rescue and recovery teams were working in a remote, rugged area near Mount Ololokwe.

Among those reported dead were Ecuador’s intelligence chief, Michele Sensi-Contugi, his wife Stephany Hollihan, and NBCUniversal journalist Jose Alberto Suarez, who led several Telemundo stations. A US State Department spokesperson said five US citizens were among the dead and that the embassy was providing consular assistance. The identities of all victims were not immediately released by local police.

The helicopter was a Eurocopter EC130 B4 operated as a charter flight by Lady Lori Helicopters and was carrying guests linked to travel company &Beyond, according to the report. Kenya Red Cross teams joined a multi-agency response, while local accounts said some bodies remained trapped in the wreckage as recovery work continued. The crash adds to a series of recent helicopter accidents in Kenya, a country where aviation is important for tourism access to remote safari destinations.