A helicopter crash on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak, left five people dead, the country's civil aviation authority announced on Thursday.
Videos shared on social media showed people gathered around the burning wreckage of the crash, looking for survivors. Parts of the destroyed helicopter could be seen scattered around the crash site, with smoke still emanating from the wreckage.
Details about the crash
The accident took place on Christmas Eve, at around 5.30 pm in the evening. The helicopter that crashed was an Airbus AS350 B3.
The crash, as per a public notice, took place between the Kibo Peak and the Barafu area on Mount Kilimanjaro, at an elevation of 4,700 metres (about 15,400 feet) above sea level.
The helicopter was operated by KilimediAir, a local company focusing on emergency evacuations. Local media reports said that in busy seasons, the helicopter could handle up to five rescues per day.
However, on Christmas Eve, a routine rescue took a tragic turn after the helicopter lifted off from the Barafu Camp and dropped out of the sky minutes later, crashing and killing everyone on board.
What we know about the victims
On board the helicopter were two climbers from Czechia, David Plos and Anna Plosova, both aged 30 years.
Accompanying them was a Tanzanian tour guide named Innocent Mbaga, as well as a Tanzanian doctor named Jimmy Daniel.
The pilot of the helicopter, Constantine Mazonde from Zimbabwe, also perished in the crash.
What led to the crash?
At the moment, it is unclear what caused the accident and an investigation is underway to determine what went wrong.
Helicopter crashes aren't particularly common in Kilimanjaro: as per local media reports, the last crash on the mountain took place more than 17 years ago, back in 2008.
Kilimanjaro, which stands almost 6,000 metres high, is the tallest peak in Africa and a popular tourist destination, with around 50,000 people attempting to scale the mountain every year.
