By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least five persons have been confirmed dead, including two Czech tourists, after a helicopter crashed on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, authorities announced on Thursday.
Also in the ill-fated helicopter were a tour guide and a doctor, both Tanzanians and the Zimbabwean pilot.
All five people on board the aircraft died in Wednesday’s crash, which happened 4,700 metres (15,400 feet) up by Camp Barafu, the country’s aviation authority said.
The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, authorities stated.
The Mwananchi newspaper and East Africa TV, citing Kilimanjaro region’s head of police, reported that the helicopter was on a medical rescue mission.
In June, the European Union put all Tanzania air transport companies on their “at risk list” following a series of accidents.
In their statement, and EU cited “a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective oversight processes in flight operations and airworthiness, and non-compliance with international safety standards”.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is nearly 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) above sea level. The crash happened between 4,670 and 4,700 metres, Mwananchi reported.
Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.
In 2022, a plane crashed into Lake Victoria, killing 19 people.
In 1999, 10 American tourists were among 12 people killed in a plane crash in the north of the country.
