Four South Floridians have been killed in a helicopter crash in Kenya during a safari trip.
Seven people in total were on board the helicopter – including five Americans. All seven were killed.
The helicopter crashed in a remote part of Kenya shortly before 9:15 Wednesday morning.
One of the victims was Roger Duarte, the founder of George Stone Crab and other restaurants in South Florida.
Duarte was married to the granddaughter of Felipe Valls Sr., the founder of Versailles.
In a joint statement, the Duarte and Valls families said, in part, “The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend, and there are no words to express the depth of our pain.”
Another victim was Jose Suarez.
Suarez spent nearly two decades working for Telemundo and NBC. He was from Miami and also worked at CBS Miami in the 1990s.
A South Florida couple was also on board the helicopter.
The tourist company Lady Lori and Kenya Civil Aviation told CBS News Miami the aircraft was operating a charter flight.
A rescue helicopter was sent to the scene following the crash.
The United States Department of State says the U.S. Embassy is in contact with local officials and is providing assistance.
Congressman Carlos Gimenez posted on social media extending his condolences to the victims’ families, especially the families of Roger Duarte and the Valls family.
Ecuadorian authorities are also confirming that an intelligence agent was among those killed.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
