7 dead in Kenya helicopter crash in area popular with luxury safari tours

7 dead in Kenya helicopter crash in area popular with luxury safari tours - The Washington Post

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7 dead in Kenya helicopter crash in area popular with luxury safari tours

The tourist aircraft crashed into Mount Ololokwe. Among the dead were a Telemundo executive and a Miami restaurateur.

August 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EDT

Today at 2:00 p.m. EDT

*The Kenya Red Cross inspects the site of the helicopter crash at Mount Ololokwe. (AFP/Getty Images)*

By

Rael Ombuor

NAIROBI — Seven people, including five Americans, were killed when a tourist helicopter crashed into Kenya’s Mount Ololokwe.

Telemundo executive José Alberto Suárez; Ecuadorian intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife, Stephany Hollihan; Miami restaurateur Roger Duarte; Henry Parra; Adam Hlavaty; and pilot Josh Outram died in the crash Wednesday.

Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that the crash occurred at 9:13 a.m. local time and involved a Eurocopter EC130 B4 operated by the charter service company Lady Lori Helicopters that was carrying guests of the luxury safari tour company AndBeyond. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Safari lodges, resorts and hotels plan breakfasts on the flat-topped Mount Ololokwe, which sits more than 6,500 feet above sea level, offering views of roaming elephants and other wildlife.

Samuel Kampala, a guide from Saruni Basecamp, was seated outside his home when he saw the helicopter going around the mountain — an unusual occurrence, he told The Washington Post. “Within 30 minutes, the helicopter hit the side of the mountain, a big rock,” he said, “and then it tried coming to the other side and within 30 minutes it started going down.”

Mount Ololokwe is called Sapashe by the Samburu County community, which considers it sacred.

Samburu has dozens of luxury hotels catering to tourists and safari companies. Because of the vast landscape, charter flights are a common mode of transport.

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