2026年8月19日 美国东部时间14:47 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻 / 美联社
一架搭载游客进行野生动物园观光的直升机于周三在肯尼亚北部偏远地区坠毁，机上7人全部遇难。美国国务院在发给哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的声明中证实，此次坠机事故中有5名美国人遇难。
美国大使馆发言人表示：“美国大使馆正与当地当局保持联系，并正在提供领事协助。我们对遇难者家属及亲友的损失表示最深切的哀悼。”
据肯尼亚民航管理局消息，这架直升机于当日上午9点13分在从洛萨巴保护区飞往桑布鲁县的埃瓦索恩伊罗地区时坠毁。该机构在声明中表示，调查已经展开。机上共有6名乘客和1名飞行员。
桑布鲁县警察局长戴维·恩科罗伊对记者表示，机上7人全部遇难，但并未透露遇难者身份。
周三晚些时候，美国全国广播公司环球新闻集团宣布，旗下特莱蒙多31台、特莱蒙多49台以及特莱蒙多迈尔斯堡-那不勒斯频道的总裁兼总经理何塞·阿尔贝托·苏亚雷斯在此次坠机事故中遇难。
在哥伦比亚广播公司新闻获得的一份致员工备忘录中，美国全国广播公司环球新闻集团称苏亚雷斯是“一位深受尊敬的领导者，也是大家敬爱的朋友和同事”。
备忘录中写道：“何塞是一位杰出的同事，也是许多人的良师益友。他深切关爱自己的团队、团队服务的社区，以及我们的电视台在人们生活中扮演的重要角色。”
2026年8月19日，肯尼亚桑布鲁县，据警方消息，此次观光直升机坠毁事故造成多人伤亡，一名救援人员在事故现场开展工作。肯尼亚红十字会/路透社供图
另据报道，厄瓜多尔交通部长表示，该国情报总监米歇尔·森西-孔图吉及其妻子在此次坠机事故中遇难。
交通部长罗伯托·卢克在X平台上写道：“今天，米歇尔和斯特凡妮过早地离开了我们。我们为他们的家人，尤其是他们的孩子和父母祈福。”
据当地媒体报道，这架直升机坠毁在该国热门旅游景点奥洛洛奎山山麓的一处崎岖地带。这架隶属于当地公司“洛莉夫人直升机公司”的直升机，搭载的是旅行机构“Beyond”的客人。洛莉夫人直升机公司在声明中表示，该飞机当时正在执行包机任务，随后发生坠毁。
当地野生动物园运营商肯尼亚热带航空在声明中表示，已派出两架直升机协助搜救行动。
肯尼亚民航管理局表示，涉事飞机为欧洲直升机EC130 B4型。
肯尼亚红十字会表示，其应急响应团队正“参与多机构联合救援行动，救援团队正设法抵达坠机现场”。
该组织在社交媒体上发布了坠机残骸的照片，并写道：“搜救和恢复工作正在进行中，但由于地形复杂难以进入，且坠机现场仍有明火，救援行动受到阻碍。”
肯尼亚拥有蓬勃发展的旅游业，依赖国内航空公司将游客送往奥洛洛奎山等偏远地区，但该国直升机坠毁事故正日益频发。
今年2月，肯尼亚一名议员在该国西部丘陵地区的一起直升机坠毁事故中遇难，连同该机乘客共有6人死亡。
2019年，肯尼亚北部一座岛屿上发生一起直升机坠毁事故，造成4名美国人和1名当地飞行员遇难。
Safari helicopter crash kills 7 people in Kenya, including 5 Americans
2026-08-19 14:47 EDT / CBS News / AP
A helicopter taking tourists on a safari crashed Wednesday in a remote part of northern Kenya, killing all seven people on board. In a statement to CBS News, the State Department confirmed five Americans were killed in the crash.
“The U.S. Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance,” the spokesperson said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss.”
The helicopter crashed at 9:13 a.m. while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which said in a statement an investigation was underway. Six passengers and the pilot were on the helicopter.
David Nkoroi, the police commander for Samburu, told reporters all seven people on board had died but did not reveal their identities.
Later Wednesday, NBCUniversal said its journalist José Alberto Suárez — president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49 and Telemundo Fort Myers–Naples — was among those killed in the crash.
In a memo sent to staff obtained by CBS News, NBCUniversal called Suárez “a deeply respected leader and beloved friend and colleague.”
“José was an exceptional colleague and mentor to many,” the memo says. “He cared deeply about his teams, the communities they served and the essential role our stations play in people’s lives.”
A rescue official works at the site of a tourist helicopter crash that caused multiple casualties, according to the police, in Samburu County, Kenya, Aug. 19, 2026. Kenya Red Cross/Handout via Reuters
Separately, Ecuador’s transport minister said the nation’s intelligence chief, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife were killed in the crash.
“Today Michele and Stephany left us too soon. Thinking of their family, especially their children and parents,” transport minister Roberto Luque wrote on X.
The helicopter crashed in a rugged area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in the country, local media reported. The helicopter, owned by local company Lady Lori Helicopters, was carrying guests with travel company &Beyond. Lady Lori Helicopters said in a statement the aircraft was operating a charter flight when it crashed.
Tropic Air Kenya, a local safari operator, said in a statement it dispatched two of its helicopters to aid search and rescue operations.
The aviation authority said the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC130 B4.
The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency response teams were “participating in a multiagency response effort as rescue teams work to access the crash site.”
“Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, hampered by difficult terrain access and an active fire at the crash site,” the organization posted on social media along with images of the wreckage.
Helicopter crashes have happened with increasing regularity in Kenya, which has a vibrant tourism industry that depends on domestic carriers to ferry visitors to distant places like Mount Ololokwe.
In February, a legislator was among six people who died after a helicopter crash in a hilly area of western Kenya.
In 2019, four Americans and a local pilot were killed in Kenya when their helicopter crashed on an island in the north of the country.
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