Helicopter Crash in Kenya Kills Tourists

We have breaking news today. Five Americans on a once in a lifetime

luxury safari through Kenya died in a helicopter crash that

killed everyone on board. It happened in a part of northern Kenya,

popular

with tourists and known for its natural beauty.

But tonight the images coming in show a scarred landscape, the

remains of that charter helicopter still smoldering as recovery crews

moved in. MTS's Tayyeб now reports on what happened

and who was on board.

The harrowing aftermath tonight of a helicopter crash.

This cellphone video shows the wreckage scattered across the rugged

foothills of Kenya's Mount Ololoqwei, a place tourists

travel thousands of miles and pay thousands of dollars to

experience. But this morning, a luxury safari ended here

in catastrophe. The helicopter, carrying six tourists and a

pilot, went down shortly after 9:00 AM, bursting into flames

in terrain so difficult to reach that Kenya's Red Cross

joined a multi-agency operation to get to the scene.

There were no survivors. In a statement, the US State

Department confirmed five Americans were among the dead, many it

appears from the Miami area. Among those killed, Jose Alberto

Suarez, president and general manager of Telemundo-owned

stations

in Florida, and 42-year-old Roger Duarte, a

well-known Miami restaurateur. The government of Ecuador has

also confirmed its intelligence chief, Michele Sensei

Contugi, and his wife were also on board.

The helicopter was operated by Lady Lori, carrying guests of

luxury travel company And Beyond, part of a safari industry

built around taking travelers deep into Kenya's vast and otherwise

inaccessible wilderness. But tonight's crash has renewed

questions about helicopter safety in the African country.

In February, six people, including a Kenyan lawmaker,

were killed when

another helicopter crashed in the country's west.

And tonight investigators are trying to determine just what exactly

brought

this helicopter down. But for those on board, a journey sold as

the experience of a lifetime above one of Africa's greatest

wilderness ended instead in tragedy far from

home. Tony.

MTS, thank you