A safari helicopter has crashed in a remote district of northern Kenya, killing all seven people on board, including five American citizens and the director of Ecuador’s national intelligence service, local police and the U.S. State Department have confirmed. The fatal aviation accident occurred on Wednesday morning in Samburu County.
The charter aircraft was carrying six passengers and one pilot when it went down at about 9:13 a.m. Officials at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter was flying from the Loisaba Conservancy—a wildlife reserve and safari destination in northern Kenya—toward the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County when the incident occurred. David Nkoroi, the police commander for Samburu, stated late on Wednesday that emergency responders had confirmed all seven individuals aboard the aircraft had died.
Aviation regulators confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the crash is currently underway. Ecuador’s government confirmed later on Wednesday that Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of the country’s National Intelligence Center, died in the crash. Sensi-Contugi, a close associate and personal friend of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, was visiting Kenya as a tourist alongside his wife, Stephany Hollihan, who was also killed.
Hollihan held dual citizenship in both the United States and Ecuador. A preliminary police report from the Archers Post police station listed both Sensi-Contugi and Hollihan as tourists. The couple is survived by their two children.
In a statement posted on X, the presidency of Ecuador expressed grief over the loss: "In this moment of deep sorrow, the government extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and close associates." The U.S. State Department confirmed that five of those killed in the aviation accident were American citizens. A spokesperson for the department said American diplomatic personnel were in contact with officials in Kenya: "The U.S.
Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance," adding, "We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss." Although authorities have not formally revealed the identities of all seven victims, a local television news station in Miami, Florida, reported that 55-year-old José Suárez was among those killed. Suárez served as president and general manager of several Telemundo television stations in Florida for the U.S.-based Spanish-language network, owned by NBCUniversal. An NBC affiliate station in Miami quoted a joint statement issued by leadership at NBCUniversal and Telemundo mourning the executive: "We are heartbroken to learn the tragic news that José was killed in a helicopter accident in Kenya." Civil aviation authorities identified the downed aircraft as a Eurocopter EC130 B4.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
