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

Mount Ololokwe, a sacred mountain for the Samburu people whose summit rises to 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) above sea level, is a popular hiking destination. Companies offer helicopter flyovers.

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.

People on board

Local media reported that the helicopter was carrying seven tourists when it crashed but their nationalities remain unknown. The aviation authority didn't say how many people were on board.

Helicopter crashes have recently increased 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.