A helicopter carrying tourists on a safari crashed in a remote part of northern Kenya on Wednesday morning, killing all seven people on board, including a prominent US journalist.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4 went down at 9:13 am in the rugged foothills of Mount Ololokwe, Samburu County, while en route from Loisaba Conservancy to Ewaso Nyiro.
NBCUniversal later identified the journalist as José Alberto Suárez, president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49, and Telemundo Ft. Myers–Naples.
Samburu Police Commander David Nkoroi confirmed the deaths of the pilot and six passengers.
The aircraft, owned by Lady Lori Helicopters, was operating a charter flight for travel firm &Beyond.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation, while the Kenya Red Cross and local operator Tropic Air Kenya assisted in the multiagency rescue effort.
Kenya’s vibrant tourism industry increasingly relies on domestic carriers, but helicopter crashes have occurred with more regularity recently.
This incident follows a February crash in western Kenya that killed six people, including a legislator.
