Six people, including three children, were killed when a tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday.
The crash killed all of those onboard the aircraft ‐ the pilot and a family from Spain. Two of the victims were initially taken to a hospital, but 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".
Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims, but media reports in the US identified one of the people aboard the helicopter as Agustin Escobar, an executive at global technology company Siemens.
New York Police referred requests for confirmation that Mr Escobar was aboard the helicopter to the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guard said in a statement that it did not yet have the names of the victims. Siemens did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.
Video of the crash showed a large object plunging into the water, followed seconds later by what appeared to be a helicopter blade. Afterwards, emergency and police boats circled part of the river where the helicopter was submerged, with only the aircraft's landing gear seen above the surface.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it was Bell 206 helicopter. "The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate," it added.
US President Donald Trump commented on the crash on social media. "The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The helicopter took off at about 3pm, flying south before heading up the Manhattan shoreline to the George Washington Bridge. It turned back towards the central Manhattan heliport, before losing control and hitting the water near a pier in Hoboken, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
She added that the aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter, which did not respond to a request for comment, but lists the Bell 206 among its fleet.
There have been about 30 helicopter crashes in New York since 1980, Brooklyn Borough President Mark Levine said. He called for tighter restrictions on helicopter traffic in the city.
