Quito/Miami, US, Aug 19 (EFE). – Seven people died in a helicopter crash in northern Kenya on Wednesday, including José Alberto Suárez, president and CEO of three local Telemundo stations in Florida; the director of Ecuador’s National Intelligence Center, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife, Stephany Hollihan. On Wednesday afternoon, the Office of the President of Ecuador confirmed via its X account the deaths of Sensi-Contugi and his wife. “The Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador expresses its deep sorrow over the deaths of Michele Sensi-Contugi, director general of the National Intelligence Center, and his wife, Stephany Hollihan,” the Executive Branch stated in a press release. Sensi-Contugi, 44, was one of the officials closest to Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and had headed the CNI (formerly CIES) since Jan 2024. Among the other passengers was Suárez, who had been at the helm of Telemundo’s stations in Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers-Naples since 2024. “José was an exceptional colleague and mentor to many. He cared deeply about his teams, the communities they served and the essential role our stations play in people’s lives,” the TV company statement said. “He brought energy, humor, warmth and a strong sense of purpose to his work, and his impact was felt far beyond the stations he led,” it added. The helicopter crashed at 9:13 a.m. local time (6:13 GMT) in Samburu County, near Mount Ololokwe, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), claiming the lives of the six passengers and the pilot. The aircraft, a Eurocopter EC130 B4, was flying the route between Loisaba and Ewasonyiro when the accident occurred. Kenyan authorities have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the crash. EFE af-pua/mcd