The Civil Authority of Kenya reported this Wednesday that a helicopter with seven people on board, most of them tourists, has crashed near Mount Ololokwe, close to the well-known Samburu National Reserve, in the center of the African country.
“The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirms that a Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter, with registration 5Y-GYM, has suffered an air accident on Mount Lolokwe, in Samburu County, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026,” it stated in a communiqué.
The aircraft was flying from Loisaba to Ewasonyiro when it crashed around 9:13 a.m. (local time) in the vicinity of Lolokwe. The authorities of the African country have already opened an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
“The Civil Aviation Authority is coordinating with the relevant agencies and stakeholders in response to the accident,” it indicated, conveying “its deepest condolences to the families of the victims following this tragic incident.”
A preliminary police report points out that there were six tourists on the helicopter at the time of the incident, in addition to the pilot. Authorities have deployed rescue teams in the affected area, according to local media.
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Later, sources from the Ecuadorian Presidency confirmed to the Ecuavisa channel that one of the deceased is Michele Sensi-Contugi, general director of the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES) of Ecuador, as well as his wife, Stephany Hollihan.
The man, 44 years old, holds dual Ecuadorian and Italian nationality and was a trusted man of the Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa. He had served as general director of CIES since August 2024. The Italian Embassy in Kenya provided immediate assistance at the site, according to the Italian television channel RAI.
They are joined by five people of American nationality, according to a spokesperson for the State Department, who conveyed their “deepest condolences to the families” of the victims.
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