Details emerge as Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO is among seven dead in helicopter crash

A Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO has been named as one of seven dead following a helicopter crash in Kenya this week. The chartered aircraft crashed as it was flying to a remote safari destination on Wednesday morning. 

42-year-old Roger Duarte was one of seven on board the helicopter – six passengers and one pilot. All died in the incident. Duarte was a hugely successful seafood entrepreneur from Miami, where he lived in a $2.8million mansion with his wife and two young sons.

He was a self-made millionaire, who started his career in investment banking. After this, he launched George Stone Crab, an international delivery service of stone crabs from the Florida Keys. This earned him a place in the 2016 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

His father, Roger Duarte Sr, confirmed his death in a phone call with MailOnline, just hours after the crash. “I’m very devastated right now,” he said. “I don’t have the words to express my feelings. We don’t know much about what happened. They are investigating the crash.”

via Kenya Defence Forces / Shutterstock

According to MailOnline, among the other passengers were: 55-year-old Florida-based TV executive José Suárez, Ecuador’s intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi, aged 44, and his wife, US-Ecuadorian fashion designer Stephany Hollihan Vásconez, 42. 

It’s been reported the helicopter departed from Loisaba Conservancy, and had been heading for the Ewaso Nyiro area of Samburu County in northern Kenya. The aircraft crashed at around 9:13am. Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed the helicopter plummeted to the ground around Mount OLolokwe. 

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A full statement from Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority said: “An aircraft accident involving a Eurocopter EC130 B4 has occurred at Lolokwe Mountain in Samburu County. The aircraft was conducting a flight from Loisaba to Ewasonyiro when the accident occurred at approximately 0913 local time.”

It added that the authority extends its “deepest condolences” to the families of victims, following this “tragic incident.”

via Kenya Red Cross / Shutterstock

Lady Lori Helicopters, which operated the the Eurocopter EC130 B4 aircraft, said it was “deeply saddened” by the accident. “Our deepest sympathies are with the guests, crew, their families and loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic accident,” a statement said. 

US Embassy representatives are now investigating the crash, and the exact cause is not yet known. 

Featured image via Instagram and Kenya Red Cross / Shutterstock. For more, like The Tab on Facebook.