Published: 01:15 PM, 28 December 2025
Helicopter crash in Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro kills five people
A helicopter crashed on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, killing five people, the civil aviation authority said on Thursday, while local media reported that the aircraft was on a medical rescue mission, reports African News Agency.
The helicopter crashed near the mountain's Barafu Camp on Wednesday, Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
Mwananchi newspaper and East Africa TV, citing Kilimanjaro region's head of police, Simon Maigwa, reported that the helicopter was on a medical rescue mission.
Among the dead were a guide, a doctor, the pilot and two foreign tourists, Mwananchi cited Maigwa as saying, without giving the tourists' nationalities.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is nearly 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) above sea level.
The crash happened between 4,670 and 4,700 metres, Mwananchi reported.
Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.
Kilimanjaro regional police commander Simon Maigwa told journalists the aircraft belonged to the Kilimanjaro Aviation Company, which conducts medical evacuation services, among others. The company is yet to comment on the accident.
Police said more information would be provided later. The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday said investigations had started in line with international safety regulations "to determine the circumstances and probable cause" of the accident.
Aircraft accidents on Mount Kilimanjaro are rare, with the last recorded incident being in November 2008, when four people died.
Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's tallest peak and attracts tens of thousands of climbers annually.
The tourists were being airlifted due to health complications.
Meanwhile, authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, which was the first aircraft accident on Kilimanjaro since? 2008.
In 2022, the Tanzanian government announced it installed high-speed internet services on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Kilimanjaro draws thousands of tourists every year. While the ascent is not technically difficult, altitude sickness is a problem for many climbers. Anecdotal evidence points to crumbling glaciers, and data shows that Kilimanjaro has lost around 80% of its ice since 1912, when measurements were first taken.
Most authorities believe that glacial melt began in the 1850s, and argue that the clearing of foothill and mountain forests is as responsible as the last three decades of global temperature rise.
