A tourist helicopter carrying a family from Spain crashed into the Hudson River in New York City, killing all six people on board, including three children. . Source : USA TODAY LATEST NEWS
The helicopter, operated by New York Helicopters, had a pilot, two adults, and three children on board. It went down in the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, officials said at a press briefing.
Agustin Escobar, a manager at the European automation company Siemens, was killed in the crash along with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, who were 4, 5, and 11 years old. The pilot, who was 36 years old, also died, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to ABC News. source: World Info Organization
The crash happened at 3:17 p.m. near River Drive in Hoboken, New Jersey, about 15 minutes after the helicopter took off from the Wall Street Heliport. Officials said the helicopter flew as far as the George Washington Bridge before turning around and crashing.
Two Spanish officials told ABC News on Thursday that the five family members were from Barcelona, Spain.
“Our hearts go out to the family and those on board,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during the briefing.
Video of the crash showed the helicopter falling into the water without a tail rotor or a main rotor blade. Officials said it hit the water upside down.
The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into what happened.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told ABC News that the doctors and staff at Jersey City Medical Center did everything they could to help the crash victims. source: World Info Organization
On Thursday evening, former President Donald Trump posted on social media, calling the crash “terrible” and saying the video of it was “horrendous.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post on X that the news was “devastating.” He added, “Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy.”
Dani Horbiak told ABC News she saw the helicopter “fall out of the sky” while looking out her apartment window.
“I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river,” she said.. Source : USA TODAY LATEST NEWS
“I was walking by and the helicopter went down at a 45-degree angle,” Eric Campoverde told ABC News. “Big splash — it was very scary.”. Source : USA TODAY LATEST NEWS
“It sounded like a sonic boom,” a witness told New York ABC station WABC. He said he saw the “helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off.”
Another witness told WABC, “One propeller broke into pieces.”
The helicopter, a Bell 206, was on its sixth flight of the day. When rescuers arrived, they found it upside-down in the 50-degree water, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, according to sources.
The Jersey City Police Department is leading the investigation since the helicopter crashed on their side of the river, Fulop told WABC on Thursday. . Source : USA TODAY LATEST NEWS
Fulop said the city has been worried about air traffic over the Hudson before and hopes this incident will bring more attention to their safety concerns.
