Kenya helicopter crash kills seven in Samburu, including six tourists

Seven people, including six tourists and the pilot, have died after a helicopter came down near Mount Ololokwe in central Kenya, according to air accident officials.

The crash took place in Samburu County at around 9:13 a.m. local time (06:13 GMT), the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

The aircraft had been operating a sightseeing trip between a wildlife conservancy in Loisaba and Ewaso Nyiro, a river that passes through a number of national reserves.

The KCAA identified the helicopter as a Eurocopter EC130 B4 and said it was helping coordinate the response. The Transport Ministry and the Air Accident Investigations Department are expected to establish what caused the crash.

The identities and nationalities of those who died have not yet been released.

Access to the crash site remains difficult, according to the Kenya Red Cross. It said drones were being used to survey the area and help assess the situation. Images circulating online showed smoke rising from the site near Mount Ololokwe.

Samburu is one of Kenya's well-known tourism areas, attracting visitors to its wildlife conservancies and distinctive landscapes.

The latest crash adds to a number of fatal helicopter accidents recorded in Kenya in recent years.

Six people, including a lawmaker, died in a helicopter crash in Nandi County in February.

In April 2024, Kenya's military chief, General Francis Omondi Ogolla, was killed when an army helicopter carrying 11 people crashed in the western part of the country. Two people survived.

Another military helicopter accident in June 2021 killed at least 10 soldiers during a landing near Nairobi.