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Six tourists and pilot killed in Kenya helicopter crash

Basillioh Rukangaand
Thomas Mukhwana,in Nairobi
Kenya Red Cross/Handout via REUTERS Five men stand on dusty arid dirt with a helicopter in the background. One of them has a Red Cross top on.Kenya Red Cross/Handout via REUTERS
Rescue officials at the crash site in Samburu County

Six tourists and a pilot have been killed after a helicopter crashed at Mount Ololokwe in central Kenya, air accident officials have told the BBC.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Department said the nationalities of the pilot and passengers were yet to be confirmed.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said the accident happened in Samburu county at approximately 09:13 local time (06:13 GMT).

It said the helicopter was on a scenic flight from a wildlife conservancy in Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro, a river that flows along several national reserves.

An image shared online shows smoke at the crash site at Mount Ololokwe.

The Kenya Red Cross has told the BBC that the area is not yet accessible, but drones are being used to assess the scene.

The KCAA said the accident involved a Eurocopter EC130 B4 and it was co-ordinating operations.

The transport ministry and Air Accident Investigations Department would lead "investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident", it added.

Samburu county is a popular tourist destination with many private wildlife conservancies and is renowned for its stunning scenery.

Helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Kenya.

In February, a helicopter crash in the Rift Valley county of Nandi killed six people, including a member of parliament.

In 2024, the military chief, Gen Francis Omondi Ogolla, died after an army helicopter that was carrying 11 people crashed in the west of the country, with only two survivors.

In June 2021 at least 10 soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed while landing near the capital, Nairobi.

More about Kenya from the BBC:
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