‘NO WORDS’

TV Exec Among Five Americans Killed in Helicopter Crash

There were no survivors found at the site where the safari chopper went down.

A Florida TV executive and the owner of an established Miami restaurant are among five U.S. citizens killed when a safari helicopter crashed in northern Kenya on Wednesday. The State Department confirmed their deaths but has not released their identities. NBC later identified one of the deceased as journalist Jose Alberto Suarez, a Telemundo station manager, while family confirmed Roger Duarte as the deceased restaurateur. NBC described Suarez as “an exceptional colleague and mentor to many.” Duarte’s relatives said they were “devastated and heartbroken,” adding, “The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend, and there are no words to express our pain.” The State Department says that it is coordinating with local authorities in the aftermath of the crash and providing consular services to the bereaved. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss,” a spokesperson for the department said. It is the second fatal helicopter crash in Kenya so far this year after another chopper went down in February, killing all six people on board, including a Kenyan politician.