{"id":2000123107,"date":"2026-08-20T09:08:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T07:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000123107"},"modified":"2026-08-20T09:08:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T07:08:40","slug":"ecuadors-intelligence-chief-among-7-killed-in-kenya-helicopter-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/ecuadors-intelligence-chief-among-7-killed-in-kenya-helicopter-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador’s intelligence chief among 7 killed in Kenya helicopter crash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was carrying seven people when it went down near Mount Ololokwe at about 9:13 a.m. local time, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. The aircraft, operated by Lady Lori Helicopters, had been flying from Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among those killed was Michele Sensi-Contugi, Ecuador\u2019s Director General of the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES) and an ally of President Daniel Noboa. His wife, Stephany Maria Hollihan V\u00e1sconez, also died in the crash. Ecuador\u2019s Foreign Ministry confirmed the couple were aboard the helicopter and said they held dual Ecuadorian and Italian citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Michele Sensi-Contugi, Ecuador\u2019s Director General of the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES), was among those killed in the crash.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The five Americans killed were identified as Roger Edward Duarte, Adam Martin Hlavaty, Henry Parra, Jose Alberto Suarez and V\u00e1sconez, according to officials. Suarez was president and general manager of several Telemundo stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kenyan pilot, Josh Outram, also died. Outram was described as an experienced aviator and founder of Africa Heli Adventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The helicopter crashed in rugged terrain near Mount Ololokwe and caught fire, complicating rescue and recovery efforts. The Kenya Red Cross said a multi-agency operation was launched, with difficult terrain and the active fire hampering access to the wreckage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kenya Red Cross emergency teams during a rescue and recovery operation after a helicopter crash killed tourists near Mt. Ololokwe in Samburu, Kenya, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. State Department said the U.S. Embassy in Kenya was assisting local authorities and providing consular support to the victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss,\u201d a State Department spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luxury travel company &Beyond, which said the helicopter was carrying its guests, also expressed condolences. Lady Lori Helicopters said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenya\u2019s Air Accident Investigation Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. Authorities have not established a definitive cause, and officials have cautioned that the investigation remains ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was carrying seven people when it went down near Mount Ololokwe at about 9:13 a.m. local time, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven people, including Ecuador\u2019s intelligence chief, his wife and five U.S. citizens, were killed Wednesday when a helicopter crashed in Kenya\u2019s northern Samburu County, officials confirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000123112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,101],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000123107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-internationl","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000123112,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/1366x768_cmsv2_417a7c34-6b5e-5f61-837d-03aee20b4397-9880886.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1366,"height":768,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/1366x768_cmsv2_417a7c34-6b5e-5f61-837d-03aee20b4397-9880886.jpg","width":1366,"height":768},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/1366x768_cmsv2_417a7c34-6b5e-5f61-837d-03aee20b4397-9880886.jpg","width":1366,"height":768},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/1366x768_cmsv2_417a7c34-6b5e-5f61-837d-03aee20b4397-9880886.jpg","width":1366,"height":768},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/1366x768_cmsv2_417a7c34-6b5e-5f61-837d-03aee20b4397-9880886.jpg","width":1366,"height":768},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/1366x768_cmsv2_417a7c34-6b5e-5f61-837d-03aee20b4397-9880886.jpg","width":1366,"height":768}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000123107"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000123116,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123107\/revisions\/2000123116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000123112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000123107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000123107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000123107"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000123107"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000123107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}