Helicopter crash on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro kills five: aviation authority

A helicopter crashed on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, killing five people, the civil aviation authority said on Thursday, while local media reported that the aircraft was on a medical rescue mission.

Those killed were identified as a guide and a doctor — both Tanzanians — the Zimbabwean pilot and two tourists from the Czech Republic, the Tanzania National Parks said in a statement.

The helicopter crashed near the mountain's Barafu Camp on Wednesday, Tanzania's Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The Mwananchi newspaper and East Africa TV, citing Kilimanjaro region's head of police, reported that the helicopter was on a medical rescue mission.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is nearly 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) above sea level.

The crash happened between 4,670 and 4,700 metres, Mwananchi reported.

Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.