5 Americans among 7 dead after helicopter crashes in Kenya
Authorities are investigating what caused a fiery helicopter crash in Kenya that killed seven people, including five Americans and Ecuador's intelligence chief.
The crash occurred Wednesday near Lolokwe Mountain in Samburu County, in northern Kenya, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). There were no survivors, it said.
The helicopter was completely destroyed by the impact and ensuing fire, according to Fred Kabunge, director of Kenya’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Department.
Investigators have not recovered any electronic component from which data can be downloaded, he said in an update on the crash Thursday. They have asked the Kenya Meteorological Department for satellite imagery from the day of the crash and will look at the operator's tracking data, he said.
A preliminary report on the crash is expected within 30 days.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was flying from Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro with "7 souls on board" when the accident occurred at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time on Wednesday, according to the KCAA.
The recovery operation was hampered by difficult terrain and an active fire at the crash site, the Kenya Red Cross said.
Luxury travel and tour agency &Beyond confirmed in a statement that a helicopter carrying its guests had crashed near Mount Ololokwe and expressed its "deepest sympathies with all those affected."
The Americans killed in the crash were Roger Edward Duarte, Adam Martin Hlavaty, Henry Parra and Jose Alberto Suarez, the Samburu County police commander confirmed to ABC News. Suarez was the president and general manager of multiple Telemundo stations, according to NBC.
Ecuador's national intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife, Ecuadorian-American Stephany Maria Hollihan Vasconez, were among those killed, according to Ecuador's Foreign Ministry.
Kenyan pilot Josh Outram also died, according to the Samburu County police commander.
Preliminary information indicates that the pilot co-owned Lady Lori, the company operating the helicopter, with another individual, according to Kabunge.
The U.S. Embassy confirmed five of those who died in the crash were Americans, after initially saying four Americans died.
"The U.S. Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance," a State Department spokesperson said. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss."
