A chopper carrying six people disintegrated midair and crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday afternoon, 15 minutes after it took off from Downtown Skyport, Manhattan.
The helicopter was carrying Siemens Spain’s CEO, Agustin Escobar, his wife, and their three children, who all perished in the crash. The pilot also lost his life.
The family arrived from Barcelona that same day and was on vacation in the United States but unfortunately lost their lives to the growing number of air mishaps and fatalities that have been happening in the U.S. for many months now.
Video recordings from eyewitnesses showed the helicopter’s tall and propeller blades breaking off and falling into the river. The main body had a free fall and slammed into the river. Watch below:
They also reported hearing a loud boom sound before the Bell 206L-4 LongRange IV chopper started breaking up near West Houston street and Wall street.
Rescue efforts were launched immediately after the crash happened. Four people were retrieved dead while two others who were pulled out alive died in the hospital.
Michael Roth, the CEO of New York Helicopters, who was operating the chopper said he was devasted by the crash and suggested it might have been caused by a bird strike or a possible failure of the main rotor blades.
“Looks like six people…are no longer with us”, Trump said, in a condolence message to the families and friends of the victims of the crash, and said an investigation has been launched to know the cause.
