Mount Kilimanjaro helicopter crash kills 5 including tourists | World | News

Five people, including two tourists, were killed when the helicopter crashed near a popular hotspot. Tanzania’s aviation authority said all five deaths were in the helicopter that crashed into Mount Kilimanjaro.

According to Tanzania’s aviation authority, all five people on board the plane died in the crash, which occurred at an altitude of approximately 15,400 feet near Camp Barafu on Wednesday.

In the statement made by Tanzania National Parks, it was stated that those who died were a Tanzanian guide, a Tanzanian doctor, a Zimbabwean pilot and two tourists from the Czech Republic.

Police said the plane was on a rescue mission to pick up patients in the mountains when it crashed.

The plane was operated by Kilimanjaro Aviation, a company that provides medical evacuation and other aviation services in the region.

District police commander Simon Maigwa confirmed the operator and said investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident. Emergency teams were dispatched to the accident site, which was in a remote and difficult area close to the summit route.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, rises nearly 20,000 feet above sea level and attracts climbers from around the world. An estimated 50,000 tourists attempt to summit the mountain each year, and medical evacuations are sometimes necessary due to altitude sickness and injuries.

While authorities express their condolences to the families of the deceased, investigations into the accident continue.

Plane crashes in the mountains are rare. The last recorded helicopter crash on Mount Kilimanjaro occurred in November 2008 and killed four people.