1 week Ago By NDTV Profit News
A helicopter carrying a Spanish tourist family and a pilot crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, killing all six people aboard. New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the tragedy, in which three victims were children. Several videos of the incident have surfaced on social media, showing the helicopter flipping twice in the air before plunging into the river.
According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, authorities are investigating the cause of the incident. She said that the identities of the victims will not be released until the families are notified. The helicopter, operated by New York Helicopters, took off from Downtown Skyport in Manhattan at 14:59 local time.
Shortly after take off, the aircraft lost control while turning at the George Washington Bridge to follow the New Jersey shoreline, officials said. Some reports suggested that Agustin Escobar, President and CEO of German tech firm Siemens’s Spain unit, was one of the victims. The New York Post reported that the CEO was aboard the helicopter along with his wife and their three children.
Shortly after the incident, rescue boats were launched in the river, with swimmers searching for victims. However, four were pronounced dead on scene. The other two were carried to a nearby hospital, where they were declared dead.
According to BBC, the helicopter involved in the crash was identified as Bell 206, a two-bladed chopper. The National Transportation Safety Board will now undertake an investigation into the crash. The Flightradar24 website showed that the helicopter was in the air for about 15 minutes before it crashed into the river.
Several bystanders reported seeing the helicopter falling apart mid-air, with its parts falling from the sky into the river. The deceased pilot is said to be aged 36, while the three children were aged 4, 5 and 11 years old. The family had come from Spain’s Barcelona to visit New York.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Agustin Escobar was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility since October 2024. Before that, he was was the President and CEO of Siemens Spain from December 2022. He was also the CEO of Siemens Mobility Southwest Europe for four years between December 2019 and October 2024.
He held a degree in industrial engineering from Universidad Pontificia Comillas and had over 25 years of global experience in the energy and transportation sectors. He was associated with Siemens for a long time, and held key management positions within the company. Between 2012-19, he served key positions including CEO of Siemens’ Energy Management unit in Latin America, and CEO of the Infrastructure and Cities sector.
He was also a part of Siemens’ North American team, where he served as Corporate Director for business strategy..
