Disasters & Incidents
Kenya helicopter crash kills Ecuador intel chief, 5 Americans
A tourist helicopter crashed in Kenya's Samburu County on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, including Ecuador's intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and five US citizens, officials said.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft crashed on Wednesday morning north of Nairobi after departing from the Loisaba wildlife reserve. Fredrick Kabunge, director of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department, said the helicopter was carrying one pilot and six passengers on a scenic flight and that no one survived.
Ecuador's Transport Minister Roberto Luque said Sensi-Contugi and his wife, Stephany, were among those killed. Sensi-Contugi, 42, was appointed in 2024 as head of Ecuador's National Intelligence Center and was a close associate of President Daniel Noboa.
A US State Department spokesperson said five American citizens died but did not identify them. Telemundo said Jose Alberto Suarez, a senior manager for the broadcaster in Florida, was killed in the crash.
The crash happened at the foot of Mount Ololokwe. The Kenya Red Cross shared images showing flames at the site and said difficult terrain hampered rescue operations. Samburu County police chief David Nkoroi said operations were suspended until Thursday because of darkness and the complex ground.
The cause has not been established. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said investigations were under way.
Update
Samburu County police chief David Nkoroi said operations at the crash scene were suspended until the following day because of darkness and difficult ground.
Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo said one of its senior managers in Florida, Jose Alberto Suarez, died in the crash.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 20:46:32 UTC.
Update
The crash happened at 09:13 local time in Samburu county after the helicopter departed from Loisaba wildlife reserve, according to Kenya's civil aviation authority.
Images shared by the Kenya Red Cross showed the crash site in flames.
Michele Sensi-Contugi was 42, a former businessman and had been appointed head of Ecuador's National Intelligence Center in 2024.
The Kenya Red Cross said response operations were hampered by difficult terrain and an active fire at the crash site.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 19:30:00 UTC.
Update
The US State Department said five Americans were killed in the Kenya helicopter crash.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 18:27:17 UTC.
Update
Ecuador's transport minister said intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi's wife was also killed in the crash.
The minister named the wife as Stephany in a post on X.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 17:50:25 UTC.
Update
Ecuador's government said Ecuador's intelligence chief was killed in the Kenya helicopter crash.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 17:39:50 UTC.
Update
Kenya aviation officials confirmed there were seven people on board: one pilot and six passengers.
Fredrick Kabunge of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department said no one survived.
Kabunge said the helicopter was carrying tourists on a scenic flight.
Authorities said the tourists' nationalities had not yet been established.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 13:39:27 UTC.
Update
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the accident happened at 9:13 am local time after the aircraft left Loisaba wildlife reserve.
The crash occurred at the foot of Mount Ololokwe in Samburu county.
Local media reported that seven tourists were on board, but their nationalities were unknown.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said investigations were under way.
The Kenya Red Cross said response operations were ongoing as a multi-agency team tried to access the site.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 11:03:33 UTC.
Update
The helicopter crashed on Wednesday in Kenya's northern Samburu county.
An aviation source said several tourists were killed.
The crash site was described as about 350 kilometres from Nairobi.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 10:13:54 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The cause of the crash has not been established.
The US State Department did not identify the five American citizens.
Source
AFP news report published on .