The president of the Spanish branch of the technology giant Siemens and his family are among the victims of the New York City helicopter crash, it is understood.
The sightseeing chopper broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River on Thursday. It killed all those on board, including the pilot and a family-of-five tourists from Spain. The relatives were Agustín Escobar, his wife and their three children. Mr Escobar, president and CEO of Siemens in Spain, and his family had just arrived in the Big Apple from Barcelona earlier in the day, law enforcement sources said.
Heartbreaking photos show the family posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash. New York Helicopter runs the tours over the Big Apple, and touts itself for providing comfort and safety to customers.
The company’s CEO, Michael Roth, said: “I’m absolutely devastated. The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter. And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business.”
Dad-of-three Mr Escobar was appointed to serve as the CEO of Siemens in Spain in 2022 after previously serving as the CEO of Siemens Mobility Spain, it is believed.
He also held various positions in Spain between 1998 and 2010, primarily in the energy sector. Additionally, Mr Escobar served as the vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain. Detail about his wife, including her name and occupation, remains scant at this stage but the Mirror is working to verify information on this developing story.
The terrifying crash took place at around 3.15pm on Thursday, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River just off the tip of Lower Manhattan. Witnesses described seeing the chopper “split in half” before it went down near Pier 40. One man reporting the stricken aircraft making what sounded like a “sonic boom.”
And construction worker Eric Campoverde told the New York Post: “I was like, ‘oh s***’. I was walking home from work when I saw the helicopter going down at a 45-degree angle. Then I heard and saw a big splash. It was going fast. It was maybe on top of the water for three or four seconds before it went under. It was fast.”
In the wake of the disaster, Governor Kathy Hochul, of New York, said: “Six innocent souls have lost their lives, and we pray for them and their families.” She added an investigation crew is at the scene to continue the probe into the cause of the crash.
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