NAIROBI, Kenya: Ecuador’s intelligence chief and five US citizens died when a helicopter carrying tourists crashed in central Kenya on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, officials said.
The accident happened at 09:13 am local time (0613 GMT), in Samburu county, north of the capital, Nairobi, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), after the aircraft departed from the Loisaba wildlife reserve.
An update on the air accident in Samburu of the operator and souls on board.
Read full statement below: pic.twitter.com/WjiggB3vvo— Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (@CAA_Kenya) August 19, 2026
Images shared by the Kenya Red Cross on X in the afternoon showed a crash site in flames.
Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, hampered by difficult terrain access and an active fire at the crash site.
An additional team has been dispatched from Isiolo to reinforce the operation.
More updates to follow. https://t.co/XUjWArYul3 pic.twitter.com/qSApuA1b0y
— Kenya Red Cross (@KenyaRedCross) August 19, 2026
“There were seven people on board the helicopter, one pilot and six passengers,” Fredrick Kabunge, director of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID), told AFP, confirming earlier information from an anonymous aviation source that no one survived.
Kabunge did not provide the identities or nationalities of the dead, including the pilot.
But Ecuador’s Transport Minister Roberto Luque said the Latin American nation’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife were among those killed.
“Today Michele and Stephany left us too soon. Thinking of their family, especially their children and parents,” Luque wrote on X.
Difícil pronunciarse cuando sigues incrédulo por la noticia de una tragedia como esta. Hoy partieron muy pronto Michele y Stephany. Pienso en su familia, especialmente sus hijos y sus padres. Mis sentidas condolencias a ellos en este momento tan duro.
A Daniel y Lavinia los…
— Roberto Luque (@RobertoLuqueN) August 19, 2026
Sensi-Contugi, 42, is a former businessman appointed as head of Ecuador’s National Intelligence Center in 2024. He was a close associate of President Daniel Noboa.
The US State Department said that five American citizens died in the crash.
The US Embassy in Kenya is in contact with local authorities and is providing consular assistance, a department spokesperson said in an email received by AFP.
🇺🇸🇰🇪 Four Americans are among seven people killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya.
It went down near Mount Ololokwe in northern Kenya this morning with six passengers and a pilot onboard.
Getting to the crash site wasn’t easy either. Rescue teams had to deal with rough terrain…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 19, 2026
The spokesperson expressed US condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died, without identifying them, citing privacy concerns.
Kabunge said the “helicopter was transporting tourists for a scenic flight”.
In a video shared on X, black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky at the foot of Mount Ololokwe, where the crash occurred.
Mount Ololokwe is a sacred mountain for the Samburu people, its summit rising 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) above sea level, and it is a popular hiking destination. Companies offer helicopter flyovers.
The cause of the crash has not yet been established, with KCAA saying investigations were underway.
The Kenya Red Cross said that response operations were ongoing, “hampered by difficult terrain and an active fire at the crash site.”
In March, a helicopter crash in western Kenya killed six people, including a member of congress.
