Kenyan officials say Internal Security Minister George Saitoti is among six people killed in a police helicopter crash early Sunday near the capital, Nairobi.

Authorities say an assistant and a bodyguard of Saitoti were also killed in the crash in the Ngong hills area.

Saitoti was a former vice-president who planned to run for president in next year's March election.

The identity of some of the other victims has not been confirmed. Some witnesses say the bodies are burned beyond recognition.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.