Kenya has pledged to expedite preliminary investigations into the helicopter crash that killed Ecuador’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi Ycaza and his wife, Stephany María Hollihan.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’Oei made the commitment during a phone call with Ecuador’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alejandro Davalos on Saturday, August 22.

In a statement obtained by Kenyans.co.ke , Sing’Oei said Kenya would also provide support for the recovery and repatriation of the victims’ remains in addition to working to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.

“I reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to working round the clock to conclude preliminary investigations into the circumstances of the accident and to facilitate the necessary support toward the retrieval and repatriation of the remains, so that the departed may be accorded a fitting and dignified send-off,” the PS stated.

📌 What You Need to Know

The pledge comes as Ecuador mourns the deaths of Sensi-Contugi, the director of the country’s National Intelligence Centre, and his wife.

The couple died on Wednesday during a recreational visit when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed while en route from Loisaba Conservancy to Ewaso Nyiro in Samburu County.

Kenyan authorities have launched investigations into the accident, with the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) leading efforts to determine what caused the crash.

Other international investigators from the U.S. and France have also joined the probe, although as of Friday evening, the plane's black box was yet to be found.

AAID Director Fred Kabunge said the aircraft did not have a black box, meaning investigators will rely on other evidence to reconstruct the final stages of the flight.

“Once all this is done, then we will be guided in terms of the activities to follow. This particular aircraft has no black box installed. Kenya Civil Aviation regulations do not permit it,” he said.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke