Rescue teams deployed in Samburu County managed to recover four of the seven bodies of the victims from the helicopter accident that occurred on Wednesday near Mount Ololokwe in northern Kenya, as reported by Telemundo 51.
The three remaining individuals are trapped among the charred remains of the aircraft, and search efforts will resume this Friday.
The accident occurred on Wednesday at 9:13 AM local time when a Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter, operated by the Kenyan company Lady Lori Helicopters, crashed in mountainous terrain during a charter flight from the private reserve Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro River.
On board were six passengers and the pilot Josh Outram. There were no survivors.
Fred Kabung, chief investigator of the Kenya Aircraft Accidents Investigation Department (AAID), described the conditions at the site:
"The terrain is rugged, extremely rugged. It is an area completely unknown to us. One must travel by helicopter from one place to another."
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Roads and Transport.
Who were the victims?
Five of the deceased were U.S. citizens, several of whom were linked to Florida and the Latino community in Miami, as confirmed by the Department of State.
The Ecuadorian victims
Among the deceased is Michele Sensi-Contugi (44 years old), head of the Strategic Intelligence Center of Ecuador since January 2024 and a highly trusted figure of President Daniel Noboa.
He was traveling with his wife, the designer Stephany Hollihan Vásconez (42 years old), founder of Sensi Studio, an internationally renowned Ecuadorian fashion brand. The couple left behind two children.
The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, reacted on X with a heartfelt and extensive message.
"The accident in Kenya took away two friends from me, but above all, it took away two people who were family to us. Michele stood by me during some of the hardest moments of these years. Loyal, brave, and steadfast, he accompanied me without hesitation when it was time to make decisions that few were willing to face. He was irreplaceable in the battles we fought together and leaves an enormous void in all the ones we have yet to fight," he wrote.
"But our story was never just about work. With them, we shared life. The good times, the difficult days, the conversations that stayed between us, the laughter, and that trust that only exists when friends stop being just friends and become family. I still find it hard to believe they are gone. As parents, Lavinia and I know that nothing was more important to them than their children. We know how much they loved them and everything they dreamed for them, and as long as we are here, they will never be alone. We will take care of them and support them as we know they would have done for ours. We will miss them for the rest of our lives and carry them with us always," he added.
Following the confirmation of the tragedy, the Ecuadorian government declared three days of national mourning and appointed Luis Carlos Ávila as the acting director of the organization.
The American victims
José Alberto Suárez, aged 55, was the president and general manager of the stations Telemundo 31 (Orlando), Telemundo 49 (Tampa), and Telemundo Ft. Myers-Naples, with over 25 years in Hispanic media and Cuban roots.
According to an internal memo from NBCUniversal reported by CBS News, he was "an exceptional colleague and a mentor for many."
The Cuban journalist Javier Díaz remembered him on social media: “This man offered me my first job in television in Texas after I emigrated from Cuba.”
Another of the deceased was Roger Edward Duarte, aged 39, who was the founder of George Stone Crab and co-founder of My Ceviche, included in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2016. He was the husband of Nicole Valls, granddaughter of the founder of the Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho.
The Duarte and Valls families stated, "We are devastated and heartbroken by the tragic accident that took the life of our beloved Roger Edward Duarte. The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend."
Also traveling were Adam Hlavaty, co-founder of Mrkt Group and former vice president of development at Benihana, who resided in Coral Gables.
His partner, Henry Parra, an aviation software executive and U.S. Navy veteran, was taking a sabbatical to travel and spend time with his loved ones.
The images released by the Kenya Red Cross showed thick smoke on the wooded slope of Mount Ololokwe and remnants of the aircraft still in flames. The recovered bodies showed severe burns.
Lady Lori Helicopters expressed that she is "deeply saddened" and extended condolences to the families. The State Department indicated that the Embassy in Nairobi is providing consular assistance to those affected.
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