German company Siemens has said that Agustin Escobar, the company’s global CEO for its rail infrastructure division, was killed with his family in a New York helicopter crash.
Six people, including three children, died after the sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York yesterday, sparking a major water rescue operation, authorities said.
In a statement this morning, Siemens confirmed that Mr Escobar and his family, who were from Spain, died in the tragedy.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Agustin Escobar and his family. Our deepest condolences go out to all of his relatives,” Siemens said.
Two of the victims were initially taken to a hospital, but later died from their injuries.
In a post on X, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is on a visit to China, described the incident as “an unimaginable tragedy”.
He wrote: The news reaching us…of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating.
“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy. I share in the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time”.
Video of the crash showed what appeared to be a large object plunging into the river, followed seconds later by what appeared to be a helicopter blade.
Afterwards, emergency and police boats were seen circling around a patch of river where the helicopter was submerged, with only what appeared to be the aircraft’s landing gear poking above the water’s surface.
The Bell 206 chopper, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, departed at about 3pm local time (8pm Irish time) from a downtown helicopter pad and flew north over the Hudson River, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
It turned south when it reached the George Washington Bridge and crashed minutes later, hitting the water upside down and becoming submerged near Lower Manhattan at around 3.15pm, just off Hoboken, New Jersey, Ms Tisch added.
Divers helped remove the victims from the water. Four were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to local hospitals, where they were later also pronounced dead.
President Donald Trump took to social media to call the crash “terrible”.
“The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The NBC4 channel reported that its own helicopter was unable to take off because of weather conditions, with the weather in New York yesterday gusty under thick cloud cover.
A witness said it appeared like the helicopter’s rotor blade “shattered in the sky.”
“And after it shattered, then we saw the helicopter just spiral … And then it just crashed into the water just like that,” said fashion designer Belle Angel.
The airspace around Manhattan is crowded with helicopters offering tourists a bird’s-eye view of the sights, with at least two dozen operators listed on tour website Viator.
Many of the operators also offer helicopter shuttle services to the area airports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the tour helicopter was in Special Flight Rules Area established in New York that means no air traffic control services were being provided when it crashed.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
Mr Duffy said the FAA was also launching a Safety Review Team yesterday evening. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and a team from the board will arrive in New York later and plan to hold a press briefing today.
New York city has a history of accidents involving helicopters.
In 2018, five passengers on board a helicopter died when it crashed into the East River, while the pilot survived.
The helicopter was on a charter flight that featured an open door to allow passengers to take photographs of the skyline.
A New York City Police spokesperson said that police boats had assisted in yesterday’s rescue efforts.
Helicopter safety has been a topic of discussion in the US Congress after 67 people were killed in a collision between an American Airlines regional jet and Army helicopter on 29 January near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC.
The FAA has since permanently restricted helicopter traffic near that airport and is reviewing helicopter operations near other major airports.
