At least five people have died following a helicopter crash on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.
The crash occurred on Wednesday near Barafu Camp, a high-altitude staging point on Africa’s tallest mountain. Victims were identified as two Tanzanians—a mountain guide and a medical doctor—the Zimbabwean pilot, and two tourists from the Czech Republic, Tanzania National Parks confirmed.
Local media reports, citing police authorities in the Kilimanjaro region, indicated that the helicopter was on a medical evacuation mission at the time of the incident. The aircraft reportedly went down at an altitude of between 4,670 and 4,700 metres above sea level.
Mount Kilimanjaro, which rises to nearly 6,000 metres, attracts about 50,000 climbers each year. Authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the crash, as investigations are ongoing.
