The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority announced this Wednesday that a helicopter with seven occupants, mostly tourists, has crashed near Mount Ololokwe, close to the well-known Samburu National Reserve in the central region 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 specified in a statement.
The helicopter was on the route between Loisaba and Ewasonyiro when, around 9:13 a.m. (local time), it crashed in the vicinity of Lolokwe. Kenyan authorities have launched an official investigation to clarify what caused the accident.
"The Civil Aviation Authority is coordinating with the relevant agencies and stakeholders in response to the accident," the agency indicated, which has sent "its deepest condolences to the families of the victims following this tragic incident."
According to an initial report from the Police, there were six tourists and the pilot on board the aircraft. The nationality of all of them has not yet been confirmed. Rescue and emergency response teams have been deployed to the impact area, local media have reported.
Hours later, sources from the Ecuadorian Presidency indicated to the Ecuavisa channel that among the deceased is Michele Sensi-Contugi, general director of the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES) of Ecuador, as well as his wife, Stephany Hollihan.
The deceased, 44 years old, held dual Ecuadorian and Italian nationality and was a person of utmost trust of the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa. He had been the general director of CIES since August 2024. The Embassy of Italy in Kenya has provided immediate assistance at the accident site, according to the Italian television network RAI.