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A helicopter on a rescue mission crashes on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing all 5 on board

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Five people have died after a helicopter crashed on Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.

The accident Wednesday evening happened on one of the most popular tourist climbing routes, in what police said was a rescue mission to pick up patients on the mountain.

Two foreigners, who police said had been picked up in a medical evacuation, were among those killed. A local doctor, a tour guide and a pilot were also killed in the crash.

The accident happened between the mountain’s Barafu Camp and Kibo Summit at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters (13,100 feet).

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.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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