New York: Three adults and three children died when their helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, the city’s mayor said.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a briefing, “At this time, all six victims have been removed from water. And sadly all six victims have been declared dead.”
Officials said the New York Helicopters tour aircraft left at 2:59 pm and later lost control, at around 3:15 pm the water near Lower Manhattan upside down and was submerged in the river.
The pilot, one and two adults and three children were on the board, an official told reporters.
Police divers and FDNY divers of New York City helped the victims to remove the water. Four were declared dead on the spot, while two others were taken to the area hospitals, where they bowed to their injuries. Officials said the helicopter reversed the water.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was one bell 206. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigated, NTSB led the investigation.
The images showed the landing skids of the chopper from the river next to the West Side Highway of Manhattan, as many boats revolved around the impact site.
The police of both New York and New Jersey, which is located in the opposite direction of the river from Manhattan, was on the spot with fire services.
NBC4 It was reported that its own helicopter could not stop due to circumstances, described as Windy and Overcast in New York with Thursday season.
The witnesses told the outlet that the main rotor blades were loose from the aircraft.
Aircraft Tracking Service Flightradar24 reported that, based on air traffic control data, the helicopter was probably the possibility of a bell 206L-4 Longranger IV.
The river is a busy shipping channel and a dramatic 2009 incident when an American airways jet was safely landed in water. All 155 people survived a program on the board, called “Miracle on Hudson”.
The river parts are deep like 200 feet (60 m), and the images of the helicopter are seen to show the floating devices deployed on the skid of the aircraft.
According to the US Geological Survey, the average temperature of the river is 46 ° F (8 ° C).
The Hudson Yard is a heliport close to the development of the yards, but it was not clear whether the aircraft was moving or beyond.
The New York Police Department said in a statement, “Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River in the area around the West Side Highway and Spring Street, emergency vehicles and traffic are expected to be delayed in the surrounding areas.”
A spokesperson of the fire service said: “We received a call on” 3:17 pm (1917 GMT) “about” We got a call about “helicopter in water”, but were unable to provide further information.
The New Jersey State Police did not immediately respond to the AFP request for the comment.
There have been about 30 helicopter cracks in New York since 1980, Brooklyn Boro President Mark Levin told reporters, calling for tight sanctions on helicopter traffic in the city.
