Six individuals, together with three kids, had been killed after a helicopter carrying a household of vacationers crashed into the Hudson River in New York, authorities have stated.
The household of 5 was from Spain and the sixth particular person was the pilot, New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams advised reporters on Thursday. All had been onboard the helicopter on the time of the crash, which is beneath investigation.
“Our hearts exit to the households,” Adams stated.
Authorities have but to launch the identities, however they’ve been broadly named as Agustín Escobar and his spouse Mercè Camprubí Montal, who had been each executives at Siemens, and their kids, aged 4, 5 and 11.
Earlier, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated the identities of the victims wouldn’t be launched till the households had been notified.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated the information was devastating and that he shared the grief of the victims’ households.
The Spanish household lived in Barcelona, and regional chief Salvador Illa despatched “all my affection” to their household and associates.
Video footage of the incident reveals the helicopter falling out of the sky the other way up earlier than splashing into the Hudson River.
Officers stated the helicopter misplaced management quickly after turning on the George Washington Bridge to maneuver alongside the New Jersey shoreline.
The helicopter was operated by New York Helicopters and took off from the Downtown Skyport on the decrease aspect of Manhattan at 14:59 native time (19:59 BST).
The primary calls concerning the crash got here round 15:17 EDT (20:17 BST) and rescue boats had been launched instantly, New York Hearth Commissioner Robert Tucker stated.
“Swimmers had been within the water shortly after the decision,” he stated.
ReutersAs soon as on the scene, rescuers searched the water for victims or survivors and initiated “instant life-saving measures”, however the efforts had been unsuccessful.
4 victims had been pronounced lifeless on the scene, whereas two others had been declared lifeless at a close-by hospital, officers stated.
The a part of the river the place the helicopter crashed is close to Manhattan’s west aspect, an space identified for its stylish retailers and eating. It is also close to the primary campus of New York College.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated the investigation into the crash of the Bell 206 – a two-bladed helicopter – can be led by the Nationwide Transportation Security Board.
The Bell 206 is often utilized by sightseeing firms, tv information stations and police departments.
US President Donald Trump stated the crash was horrible and extra particulars would quickly be launched about what occurred.
“God bless the households and associates of the victims,” he wrote on his Reality Social platform.
Michael Roth, the CEO of New York Helicopter Constitution Inc, advised CNN he was “devastated”.
“I am a father, a grandfather, and my spouse hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon,” he stated. When requested concerning the upkeep of the helicopter, Mr Roth replied: “It is my director of upkeep who offers with that.”
Eyewitnesses who noticed the crash advised CBS Information, the BBC’s US information companion, that they noticed components of the helicopter fall from the sky.
“I appeared outdoors my window. I noticed just a few individuals working in direction of the water, and a few individuals had been performing fairly regular. So I used to be like oh, it won’t be something. Then I began to listen to all of the sirens come outdoors,” Jersey Metropolis resident Jenn Lynk stated.
One other, Ipsitaa Banigrhi, advised CBS the crash seemed like thunder.
“I noticed, like, black particles flying,” she stated. “Once more, I assumed possibly it is identical to, mud, or birds, after which we heard all of the emergency autos and sirens go by, and I believe that is when it was like, OK, what’s taking place.”
This isn’t the primary lethal vacationer helicopter crash in New York Metropolis. In 2018, one other vacationer helicopter crashed into the East River. All 5 passengers drowned with solely the pilot surviving.
In 2009, a helicopter carrying Italian vacationers collided with a personal airplane over the Hudson River, killing 9.