A helicopter crashed on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing five people, the civil aviation authority said Thursday, while local media reported the plane was on a medical rescue mission.
Those killed were identified as a guide and a doctor – both Tanzanians – the Zimbabwean pilot and two tourists from the Czech Republic, Tanzania National Parks said in a statement.
The helicopter crashed near the mountain’s Barafu camp on Wednesday, Tanzania’s civil aviation authority said in a statement.
The Mwananchi newspaper and East Africa TV, citing the Kilimanjaro region police chief, reported that the helicopter was on a medical rescue mission.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is almost 6,000 meters (20,000 ft) above sea level.
The accident happened between 4,670 and 4,700 meters, Mwananchi reported.
Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.
