MIAMI — Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa released a statement on Thursday morning reacting to the helicopter crash on Wednesday in northern Kenya that killed seven, including a group of friends from South Florida.

The pilot of a single-engine helicopter was flying a group of six tourists from the Suyian Conservancy to Mount Ololokwe when they crashed in Samburu County, according to Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority and Lady Lori, the helicopter operator.

The seven victims were José Suárez, Roger Duarte, Adam Hlavaty, Henry Parra, Michele Sensi-Contugi, Stephany Hollihan, and Josh Outram. There were two married couples: Hlavaty, 42, and Parra, 55, and Sensi-Contugi, 44, and Hollihan, 42.

“There was nothing more important to them than their children,” Noboa wrote in a statement in Spanish about Sensi-Contugi and Hollihan on X. “We know how much they loved them and everything they dreamed for them, and as long as we’re here, they’ll never be alone. We’ll take care of them and stand by them, just as we know they would have done for ours.”

Authorities in Ecuador identified Sensi-Contugi, as the director of CIES, the country’s strategic intelligence center. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Latin American Fashion Summit described Hollihan, a fashion designer, as “a true visionary and an extraordinary force.”

Harpers Bazaar reported Hollihan, the founder of the Sensi Studio, was from Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil and was passionate about promoting Ecuadorean artisans’ work with “paja toquilla” in the U.S. and Europe.

Suárez, who grew up in Coral Gables, was the president and general manager of the Telemundo-owned stations in Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers. He was 55.

Hlavaty was a real estate executive. He was the vice president of development for Benihana and served as a board member of the Coral Gables Art Museum. Parra, a software executive, co-founded Trax USA, a company based in Coral Gables.

Duarte was the Miami-Dade County-based entrepreneur behind Hospitality Capital Partners, the owner of George Stone Crabs, which he had started in Key Biscayne, and the co-founder of My Ceviche, Zuuk Mediterranean Kitchen, and El Tropico Cuban Kitchen. He was 42.

Duarte is survived by his two sons, Roger and George, and his wife, Nicole Valls, whose family founded La Carreta restaurants and Versailles, the iconic Cuban restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana.

The spokesperson for Duarte’s family identified Suárez and the two couples as “dear friends” and Outram as the pilot. The Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya released a statement on Wednesday describing the group as “guests” of &Beyond, a travel agency.

On Thursday, the Loisaba Conservancy released a statement on Instagram, remembering Outram, who had worked for the conservancy from 2020 to 2023, was a resident there, and a part of their community.

“He supported elephant rescues, aerial surveillance for our security teams and responses to incidents on the ground, and helped with the work to establish the Loisaba Rhino Sanctuary, including building of the fence,” a spokesperson wrote. “A fourth-generation Kenyan, Josh had been flying across the country’s conservation and commercial aviation sectors for more than fifteen years. His experience was evident to everyone who flew with him: colleagues and clients alike knew him for his skill, professionalism and calm in some of the most demanding flying conditions.”

Related social media posts on Thursday

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• South Florida friends’ trip to Kenya ends in tragedy after helicopter crash
• Safari helicopter crashes in northern Kenya, killing 7 people, including 5 Americans

Related social media posts on Wednesday

Read the statement

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Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

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