A wave of profound grief is sweeping across the South Florida community following a devastating safari helicopter crash in northern Kenya on Wednesday morning. International aviation authorities and the U.S. State Department have confirmed that seven people were killed—including five Americans—when a Eurocopter EC130 charter flight went down in a rugged area near Mount Ololokwe.

The victims include prominent Miami leaders and local professionals who were traveling together on a luxury tour

Roger Duarte (42): A well-known Miami food entrepreneur and the founder of George Stone Crab and My Ceviche. Duarte was married to Nicole Valls, vice president of operations for the Valls Group and granddaughter of Felipe Valls Sr.—the legendary founder of Miami's iconic Versailles restaurant in Little Havana. In a joint statement, the Duarte and Valls families shared, "The magnitude of this tragedy is impossible to comprehend."
José Alberto Suárez (55): An award-winning journalist and the president and general manager of Telemundo stations in Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers. Suárez grew up in Coral Gables and spent nearly two decades with Telemundo and NBC Universal, leaving behind an immense legacy as a media mentor and community champion.
Adam Hlavaty & Henry Parra: A beloved couple from Coral Gables who were traveling with close friends on the safari trip.
Michele Sensi-Contugi & Stephany Hollihan: Sensi-Contugi was Ecuador's national intelligence director, and Hollihan was a prominent Ecuadorian fashion designer
Josh Outram: The commercial charter flight's pilot.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority reported the aircraft crashed at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County.

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