Seven people, among them five Americans, were killed Wednesday when a helicopter went down in Kenya’s Samburu County, local authorities and the U.S. State Department said.
The victims were identified as Roger Edward Duarte, Adam Martin Hlavaty, Henry Parra, Jose Alberto Suarez, Stephany Maria Hollihan Vasconez, Michele Sensi Contugi, and Kenyan pilot Josh Outram, the police commander for northern Kenya’s Samburu County confirmed to ABC News.
Sensi-Contugi was Ecuador’s national intelligence chief and was traveling on the aircraft with his wife, Hollihan Vasconez, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said.
Suarez served as president and general manager of several Telemundo stations, according to NBC.
“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.”
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter crashed near Lolokwe Mountain in Samburu County, a region in northern Kenya, with seven people on board.
According to the KCAA, the Eurocopter EC130 B4 was traveling from Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro with “7 souls on board” when it crashed at about 9:13 a.m. local time.
The aviation authority offered its “deepest condolences to the families of the victims following the tragic accident.”
The U.S. Embassy confirmed five of those who died in the crash were Americans, after initially saying four Americans died.
The Kenya Red Cross said in a social media post that a multi-agency “search and recovery” operation was underway, although efforts were being hampered by difficult terrain and an active fire at the crash site.
The helicopter company Lady Lori released a statement on the accident, saying the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Luxury travel and tour agency &Beyond confirmed that a helicopter carrying its guests had crashed near Mount Ololokwe.
In a statement, the company expressed its “deepest sympathies with all those affected.”
“The cause of the crash has not yet been determined and is under investigation by the relevant local authorities,” &Beyond said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Copyright © 2026 ABC News Internet Ventures.
