Helicopter operated by safari firm crashes in remote Samburu County, Kenya

A helicopter belonging to the local safari operator Tropic Air crashed in a remote section of northern Kenya on Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the Kenya Aviation Authority. The flight was traveling from the Loisaba Conservancy toward the Ewaso Nyiro region in Samburu County when it went down at 9:13 a.m. near the foothills of Mount Ololokwe. Officials have not released the number of occupants, and it is still uncertain whether the passengers were tourists or other individuals.

The incident adds to a pattern of increasing helicopter mishaps in Kenya, a country whose tourism industry relies heavily on such flights to reach distant attractions. One outlet's reports described the crash site as a ragged, mountainous area. Authorities have opened an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.