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Six individuals, including a top executive from Siemens and his family, tragically lost their lives when a sightseeing helicopter went down in the Hudson River in New York.
The incident on Thursday resulted in the deaths of everyone aboard the helicopter: the pilot and Agustin Escobar’s family, who is the CEO of a division within the global technology company Siemens.
Two of the victims were rushed to a hospital, but they later died from their injuries.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives,” Siemens told AFP on Friday.
All six victims, including three children, have been retrieved from the water, according to Mayor Eric Adams during a briefing, who described the event as a “heartbreaking and tragic crash.”
The helicopter’s landing skids could be seen extending from the river next to a tunnel vent, and several boats gathered around the accident site.
Authorities from New York and New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan, arrived at the scene along with fire department boats. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the aircraft was a Bell 206 helicopter.
President Donald Trump expressed his sentiments on social media, referring to the crash as “terrible.”
The river serves as a significant shipping lane and was the site of a dramatic incident in 2009 when a US Airways plane made a safe water landing. All 155 individuals on board survived, in an event famously known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
In certain areas, the river reaches depths of up to 200 feet, and flotation devices have been deployed on helicopter skids.
According to the US Geological Survey, the river’s average temperature this season is 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius).
