A luxury safari helicopter carrying six tourists and their pilot plunged into the rugged terrain near Mount Ololokwe in Kenya’s Samburu County on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board — among them a senior Ecuadorian intelligence official, a prominent Telemundo executive, and a celebrated Miami food entrepreneur, officials confirmed.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4, operated by Lady Lori Helicopters on behalf of luxury safari provider &Beyond, was flying from the Loisaba wildlife conservancy toward the Ewaso Nyiro River when it went down at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time. Witnesses spotted smoke and flames rising from the wooded crash site on the slopes of the mountain before emergency teams could reach the area. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed the aircraft had seven souls on board when the accident occurred.
Samburu County police commander for northern Kenya identified the dead as pilot Josh Outram and passengers Roger Edward Duarte, Adam Martin Hlavaty, Henry Parra, José Alberto Suárez, Stephany Maria Hollihan Vasconez, and Michele Sensi-Contugi. Five of the seven victims were Americans, the U.S. State Department confirmed, revising an earlier count of four.
Ecuador Declares National Mourning
Among the most prominent victims was Michele Sensi-Contugi, 44, the director of Ecuador’s Centre of Strategic Intelligence (CIES) and a close political ally of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. An Italian-Ecuadorean businessman, Sensi-Contugi had served four months as a minister in Noboa’s cabinet before the president named him head of the CIES in January 2024. He was traveling with his wife, fashion designer Stephany Hollihan, 42, who also held U.S. citizenship. Hollihan had founded Sensi Studio, a brand recognized for weaving traditional Ecuadorean textiles and materials into its designs.
President Noboa declared three days of national mourning beginning Thursday. Ecuador’s office of the president and the National Assembly both extended formal condolences over the deaths of the couple.
Telemundo and Miami Grieve Their Own
Also killed was José Alberto Suárez, 55, a Florida-born broadcasting veteran who oversaw Telemundo stations in Orlando, Tampa, and the Fort Myers-Naples market. A 25-year industry veteran, Suárez earned recognition as a leading force in Spanish-language local television. In a statement, NBCUniversal executives César Conde, Valari Staab, and José Cancela described him as "an exceptional colleague" and a mentor to many.
Roger Edward Duarte, 39, was another Miami figure whose death sent ripples through South Florida. A seafood entrepreneur, Duarte launched George Stone Crab and the My Ceviche restaurant chain. He had appeared on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and was married to Nicole Valls, whose family owns the iconic Versailles and La Carreta restaurant brands.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Antonio Gimenez said his prayers were with the families during this difficult time and that the victims’ memories would be a blessing.
Difficult Terrain Hampered Recovery Efforts
The Kenya Red Cross announced that a multi-agency search and recovery operation was launched in the hours after the crash, but responders encountered serious obstacles. Flames at the crash site and the remote, mountainous location of Mount Ololokwe created significant challenges for recovery teams. Photographs showed smoke continuing to rise from the forested hillside as Kenya Red Cross personnel approached the wreckage.
Samburu County attracts international visitors with its dramatic landscapes, private wildlife reserves, and rich animal populations—features that make it popular for helicopter tours like the one the victims were on. Kenya has experienced multiple fatal helicopter accidents; six people, including a member of parliament, died in a crash in Nandi county this past February.
The KCAA said the cause of the crash has not been determined. Lady Lori Helicopters, which operated the aircraft, said it was devastated by the accident and that its "deepest sympathies" were with the guests, crew, their families, and all those affected. &Beyond, the luxury safari company on whose behalf the flight was operating, said it would share further information in due course, out of respect for those involved, and that the investigation remained in the hands of local authorities.
The U.S. State Department said the embassy was in contact with Kenyan authorities and providing consular assistance to the families of the American victims.