Ecuador’s intelligence chief, Michele Sensi Contugi, and four American tourists were among seven people killed when a helicopter crashed in Kenya’s Samburu County on Wednesday.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4, registration 5Y-GYM, crashed near Mount Ololokwe at about 9:13 a.m. local time while travelling from the Loisaba Conservancy towards the Ewaso Nyiro area, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
Kenyan police later confirmed that all seven people aboard the aircraft, including the pilot, died in the crash. Reuters reported that the six passengers were tourists.
Sensi Contugi, 44, was identified among the victims. ANSA reported that he was an Italian citizen with dual Ecuadorian nationality and served as president of Ecuador’s national intelligence agency.
Four of the passengers were Americans, according to reports citing US authorities. One of them was José Alberto Suárez, a veteran television executive and president and general manager of several Telemundo stations in the United States.
The other passengers were identified in local reporting as Roger Duarte, Adam Navaty, Stephany Vásconez and Henry Parra, while the pilot was identified as Josh Outran.
The helicopter was operating a tourist flight arranged through luxury travel company &Beyond. The company confirmed that the aircraft was carrying its guests and said the crash was being investigated by local authorities.
The KCAA said Kenya’s Air Accident Investigation Department, under the Ministry of Roads and Transport, was leading investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The cause of the accident had not been established as of Wednesday, with authorities continuing investigations into the fatal crash.
(The Whistler)