Seven people were killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya. Image courtesy of UPI
Aug. 19 (UPI) — A helicopter pilot and six passengers are dead after a crash at Mount Ololokwe in central Kenya, officials reported.
The passengers were tourists, but the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department said the nationalities of the pilot and passengers are not yet confirmed.
The accident happened in Samburu county at 9:13 a.m. local time. The helicopter was a Eurocopter EC130 B4, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said.
The scenic flight was from a wildlife conservancy in Loisaba to Ewaso Ng’iro, a river that flows along several national reserves.
The Kenya Red Cross said the site of the crash isn’t yet accessible but drones have assessed the scene, the BBC reported.
“Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, hampered by difficult terrain access and an active fire at the crash site,” the Kenya Red Cross said on X. “An additional team has been dispatched from Isiolo to reinforce the operation.”
Kenya has a history of multiple helicopter crashes.
In March 2024, Kenya’s Chief of Defense Gen. Francis Omondi Ogolla and nine others were killed in a helicopter crash in the country. Two people survived.
In 2019, four Americans and a pilot were killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya.
In 2012, three people were killed and six were injured in a crash on takeoff at the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya.
