Five Americans and the head of Ecuador's intelligence agency died after a helicopter carrying tourists crashed in central Kenya Wednesday.
The aircraft was traveling from the Loisaba wildlife conservancy to the Ewaso Ngiro river area when it crashed around 9:13 a.m. at Mount Ololokwe in Samburu county, north of the capital, Nairobi, according to the country's civil aviation authority.
All seven people on board the aircraft died, Samburu County Police Commander David Nkoroi told reporters.
The helicopter was carrying guests from the luxury tour agency &Beyond on a charter flight, according to operator Lady Lori Helicopters.
The cause of the crash has not been determined and an investigation is underway, the country's civil aviation agency said.
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Michele Sensi-Contugi, the director general of Ecuador's intelligence agency, and his wife, fashion designer Stephany Hollihan, were killed in the crash, according to Ecuadorian authorities.
Ecuador's presidential office offered condolences to Sensi-Contugi's family in a post on Wednesday afternoon. The country's foreign ministry said its embassy in South Africa is coordinating with local authorities and allies in the region, given it does not have a diplomatic mission in Kenya.
"The death of (Sensi-Contugi) represents a great loss for the country," the ministry said in its statement.
Michele Sensi-Contugi was among those killed in Wednesday's helicopter crash. He's seen here at a press conference as then-Government Minister, in Quito, Ecuador, June 18, 2024. - Karen Toro/Reuters
Hollihan was the founder and CEO of Sensi Studio, which issued a statement Wednesday expressing its condolences. "Her passion for design, craftsmanship, and the people behind it shaped the brand and all of us who had the privilege of being part of her journey," the company said.
