Five dead after helicopter crashes into mountain

Cause of accident not yet known

The police said that the crash on Wednesday evening happened during a medical evacuation mission to pick up patients.

It is reported that the helicopter went down between Barafu Camp and Kibo Summit at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres (13,100ft).

Two foreign nationals who had been picked up for evacuation were among the dead, authorities have said.

The other three were the pilot, a local doctor and a tour guide.

The aircraft was operated by Kilimanjaro Aviation, a company that provides medical evacuation and other aviation services, Kilimanjaro regional police commander Simon Maigwa told reporters.

The company is yet to comment the incident that resulted in the death of five people.

According to police, further details will be released as soon as they become available.

On the other hand, on Thursday, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority said that an investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the crash.

Aircraft accidents on Mount Kilimanjaro are rare. The last recorded one was in November 2008, when four people died in a crash.