Helicopter crash in Kenya kills seven, including four Americans

SAMBURU, Kenya (NBC, KYMA) - A helicopter carrying six passengers, including four Americans, crashed Wednesday in a remote part of northern Kenya, killing all people onboard.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter, carrying six tourists and a pilot, crashed at 9:13 a.m. East Africa Time, while flying from the Loisaba conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu county and that an investigation was underway.

The U.S. State Department confirmed the deaths of four Americans as a result of the helicopter crash.

It said, in a statement, "The U.S. Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance."

Images from the scene showed Kenya red cross teams taking part in the search and recovery operation, aerial views of the crash site, and part of the helicopter wreckage on the ground.

The helicopter crashed in a rugged area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination, local media reported.

Tropic Air Kenya, a safari operator, said, in a statement, it dispatched two of its helicopters to aid search and rescue operations but denied ownership of the helicopter that crashed.

News outlets had reported that Tropic Air operated the helicopter, and the Aviation Authority said the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC130 B4.

The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency response teams were participating in a multiagency response effort as rescue teams work to access the crash site.

Helicopter crashes have happened with increasing regularity in Kenya, which has a vibrant tourism industry that depends on domestic carriers to ferry visitors to distant places like Mount Ololokwe.