As per reports, the weather conditions at the time of the incident were cloudy, with winds around 10 to 15 mph and gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Visibility was good, but light rain was expected to move into the area.
In a tragic incident, six people were killed, including three children, when a helicopter crashed into New York’s Hudson River in the United States. As per the information, the deceased included a pilot and a family visiting from Spain. The crash took place near Pier 40 on Thursday afternoon at around 3:17 pm (local time). The Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter had taken off from lower Manhattan and it reportedly followed a popular sightseeing route — circling the iconic Statue of Liberty and then flying north along the Hudson River toward the George Washington Bridge. However, shortly after turning back south, the chopper went down into the river near the New Jersey shoreline.
Following the incident, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) released an advisory warning of an increased presence of emergency response vehicles in the area and potential traffic disruptions as rescue and recovery efforts continued. “Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas,” NYPD stated.
As investigations have been initiated into the tragic incident, reports have emerged suggesting that the victims included prominent Spanish business executive Agustín Escobar, president and CEO of Siemens in Spain. According to the New York Post, Escobar was aboard the ill-fated helicopter along with his wife and their three children.
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Videos posted on social media showed the helicopter falling into the river. Multiple rescue boats were also deployed to carry out the rescue operations, as per officials. The rescue craft were near the end of a long maintenance pier for a ventilation tower serving the Holland Tunnel. Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were on streets near the scene with their lights flashing, they added.
Trump expresses condolence
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump also expressed condolence to the families and friends of the victims. “Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly! (sic),” he posted on his social media platform TRUTH.
The skies over Manhattan are routinely filled with both planes and helicopters, both private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights. Manhattan has several helipads that whisk business executives and others to destinations throughout the metropolitan area. Over the years, there have been multiple crashes, including a collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River in 2009 that killed nine people and the 2018 crash of a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights that went down into the East River, killing five people.
(With inputs from AP)
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