Kenya: Helicopter plunges into lake after hotel takeoff

NAIROBI, Kenya: A Kenyan official says a helicopter has plunged into Lake Nakuru in the Rift Valley moments after taking off from a nearby hotel.

National Disaster Management Unit Deputy Director Pius Mwachi said Saturday it’s not clear yet how many people were on board the helicopter and who they were.

Mwachi says a search-and-rescue mission is under way. Lake Nakuru, located 170km northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, is famous for flamingo colonies that turn the shoreline pink at their peak.

Environment degradation has threatened the lake and the wildlife that depend on it.