KABUL (Pajhwok): Seven people, including five US citizens and Ecuador’s intelligence chief, have been killed when a helicopter carrying tourists crashed in Kenya’s Samburu County, a media report said on Thursday.
The helicopter crashed at 9:13am local time on Wednesday while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County, Reuters reported.
Six passengers and a pilot were on board the helicopter. David Nkoroi, the police commander for Samburu, told reporters that all seven people had been killed but did not disclose their identities.
The US State Department confirmed that five US citizens were among the victims. Ecuador’s presidential office said the country’s intelligence chief, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife, Stephany Hollihan, were among those killed in the crash.
The US State Department said its embassy was in contact with Kenyan authorities and was providing consular assistance.
Luxury tourism company &Beyond, which operated the tour, said the cause of the crash remained unknown.
The Kenya Red Cross said difficult terrain and a fire at the crash site had hampered search and recovery efforts.
Authorities have not yet provided further details about the cause of the accident.
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