Five Americans and Ecuador's intelligence chief die in helicopter crash in Kenya

Five U.S. citizens and Ecuador's intelligence chief, Michele Sensi-Contugi, were killed along with his wife in a helicopter carrying tourists that crashed on Wednesday in central Kenya.

The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is in contact with local authorities following the accident, a State Department spokesperson said in an email received by AFP, in which he expressed his condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. The State Department confirmed to the news agency that five U.S. citizens died in the crash.

The helicopter crashed in the Mount Ololokwe area, approximately 150 miles north of Nairobi, according to an aviation source consulted by AFP.

"I can confirm that an accident has occurred; there are no survivors," said the source, who asked to remain anonymous.

Among the victims are Michele Sensi-Contugi, head of Ecuador's National Intelligence Center, and his wife, designer Stephany Hollihan, in addition to the five U.S. citizens.

"Today is a very sad and painful day. There are moments when words are not enough to understand or explain such an unexpected loss," wrote Ecuador's Vice President, María José Pinto, on X, expressing her condolences to the victims' families.

Sensi-Contugi, 44, was close to Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who governs a country affected by a serious security crisis. He was appointed head of the National Intelligence Center in 2024 and simultaneously served as Minister of the Interior for several months.

Before joining the public sector, Sensi-Contugi was known as a businessman in the apparel industry. He was the son of an Italian father and an Ecuadorian mother.