Helicopter crashes in a remote area of northern Kenya, aviation authorities say

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A helicopter carrying an unknown number of passengers crashed Wednesday morning in a remote part of northern Kenya, the country's aviation agency said.

The helicopter crashed at 9:13 a.m. while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County, according to the Kenya Aviation Authority, which said in a statement that an investigation was underway.

The helicopter, operated by local safari company Tropic Air, crashed in a ragged area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, local media reported.

It was not immediately clear if the helicopter was carrying tourists or others. The aviation authority didn't say how many people were on board.

Helicopter crashes have happened with increasing regularity in Kenya, which has a vibrant industry that depends on domestic carriers to ferry visitors to distant places.

In February, a legislator was among six people who died after a helicopter crash in a hilly area of western Kenya,