Kenya's internal security minister was killed with five other people in a helicopter crash near the Kenyan capital on Sunday, the vice president said. Minister George Saitoti and his assistant were among those killed when a police helicopter crashed on the outskirts of Nairobi, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said. An Associated Press reporter saw the victims' charred remains that were scattered in a forest near Nairobi. Prime Minister Raila Odinga said at the scene of the accident that the death of Saitoti was a "great tragedy that has befallen our country at this time as we are making elaborate preparations to hold peaceful elections." It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. Kenyan police cordoned off the scene of the crash and said they were investigating.
