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Tourist family, pilot killed in 'tragic' NY helicopter crash / Photo: Leonardo Munoz - AFP
Tourist family, pilot killed in 'tragic' NY helicopter crash
Six people including three children were killed after a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, sparking a major water rescue operation, authorities said.
All of those onboard the tourist sightseeing trip, the pilot and a family from Spain, died including two who were taken to a hospital and later succumbed to their injuries.
"At this time, all six victims have been removed from the water. And sadly, all six victims have been pronounced deceased," Mayor Eric Adams told a briefing, after earlier calling it a "heartbreaking and tragic crash."
The chopper's landing skids were seen protruding from the river beside a tunnel vent as several boats clustered around the impact site.
Police from both New York and New Jersey, which is on the opposite side of the river from Manhattan, responded to the scene along with fire department vessels.
The NBC4 channel reported that its own helicopter was unable to take off because of conditions, with the weather in New York on Thursday gusty under thick cloud cover.
Witnesses told the outlet that a rotor blade had come loose from the aircraft, while footage on social media showed pieces of the aircraft breaking off and the helicopter plunging into the waterway.
"A Bell 206 helicopter crashed and is submerged in the Hudson River in New York City," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
"The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate."
- 'Heartbreaking' -
The river is a busy shipping channel and the scene of a dramatic 2009 incident when a US Airways jet safely landed in the water. All 155 people on board escaped with their lives in an event dubbed "Miracle on the Hudson."
The river is as deep as 200 feet (60 meters) at points, and an AFP correspondent saw what appeared to be floatation devices deployed on the aircraft's skids.
The average temperature of the river is 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) at this time of year, according to the US Geological Survey.
"Three adults and three children were on board a Bell 206 helicopter that had left from the downtown Skyport at just about 3 pm," Adams said, adding that the tourists were a family from Spain.
There have been around 30 helicopter crashes in New York since 1980, Brooklyn Borough President Mark Levine told reporters, calling for tighter restrictions on helicopter traffic in the city.
Z.Garcia--PS
