Five people, including two foreign nationals, have died after a helicopter on a medical evacuation mission crashed on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, in northern Tanzania.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening along one of the mountain’s busiest climbing routes. The helicopter went down between Barafu Camp and Kibo Summit at an altitude of over 4,000 metres.
Those killed include the pilot, a local doctor, a tour guide, and two patients who were being evacuated. Police confirmed that the aircraft was operated by Kilimanjaro Aviation, a company that provides medical evacuation and aviation services.
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation in line with international aviation safety standards to determine the cause of the crash. Aircraft accidents on Mount Kilimanjaro are rare, with the last recorded incident occurring in 2008.
