Helicopter crash on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro kills five, aviation authority says

A helicopter crashed on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing five people, the civil aviation authority said on Thursday, while local media reported that the aircraft was on a medical rescue mission. (123rf/masterkuz2018)

A helicopter crashed on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing five people, the civil aviation authority said on Thursday, while local media reported that the aircraft was on a medical rescue mission.

Those killed were identified as a guide and a doctor - both Tanzanians - the Zimbabwean pilot and two tourists from the Czech Republic, the Tanzania National Parks said in a statement.

The helicopter crashed near the mountain’s Barafu Camp on Wednesday, Tanzania’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The Mwananchi newspaper and East Africa TV, citing Kilimanjaro region’s head of police, reported that the helicopter was on a medical rescue mission.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is nearly 6,000m above sea level.

The crash happened between 4,670 and 4,700m, Mwananchi reported.

About 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.

Reuters


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