Five Barcelona residents dead after tourist helicopter crash into Hudson River in New York City

Five Barcelona residents and a pilot have died after the tourist helicopter in which they were traveling crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday afternoon local time, as confirmed by New York Mayor Eric Adams.

The passengers on board lived in Barcelona. They have been named as husband and wife Agustín Escobar and Mercè Camprubí, and their children aged 11, 5, and 4, according to local media. Escobar was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, after previously being the CEO and President of Siemens Spain.

"Our hearts go out to the family," Adams told reporters during a televised speech.

The crash occurred at 3:17 pm local time (9:17 pm Barcelona time) when emergency services started receiving multiple calls for a crashed helicopter.

Authorities said that three adults and three children were on board the vehicle that had left downtown at 2:59 pm from Wall St. Heliport.

The vehicle was traveling north and reached the George Washington Bridge at 03:08 pm, as New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy wrote on social media X, formerly Twitter, that the "tour helicopter was in the Special Flight Rules Area established in New York which means no air traffic control services were being provided when the helicopter crashed."

Several minutes prior to entering the Special Flight Rules Area, Air Traffic Control from LaGuardia airport "was providing support," he added before writing that the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) "would deploy investigators on site tonight [written at 8 pm local time] and that the US government was launching a Safety Review Team."

The six victims were "all pronounced deceased," Adams said. Four of them were rescued from the interior of the vehicle and two from the water. Two of the travelers were taken into local area hospitals "where sadly both succumbed to their injuries," Tisch said.

The Spanish consulate in New York City is in contact with local authorities to gather as much information as possible, as diplomatic sources told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) at midnight on Friday.

'Dismayed' and 'devastating' news

Catalan president Salvador Illa was "dismayed" after learning the news. "Life is not in our hands and kicks you in the hardest way when you least expect it," Illa said from Milan, Italy, during an official trip to take over the presidency of the Four Motors for Europe, an organization of four highly industrialized and research-oriented regions.

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences after learning of the "devastating" news of the accident. "Five Spaniards from a same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives," he wrote on social media platform X before adding that "it is an unimaginable tragedy."

Minutes later, US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that there had been a "terrible helicopter crash" and that the "footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims."

The CEO of Siemens technological company, Roland Busch, wrote in a message on X that the team was "deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend, Agustin Escobar, and his beloved family."

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Agustin's family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. We will miss him and his family immensely," the text reads.

Fast repatriation

The Spanish delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, announced that it will be a "fast" repatriation process once they receive the official clearance by local judicial authorities.

"Once we receive the approval from the judicial team, we will guarantee for it to be a fast repatriation," he said.

He "profoundly" regretted the "tragic" event and announced that officials are in contact with the victim's family members to inform them about "everything that is going on."

Prieto said that the events are under judicial investigation but that they will "pay close attention" to the outcome of the forensic analysis.

Victims’ school "shaken" by accident

The Sant Ignasi school in Barcelona has expressed that it is “shaken and saddened” by the death of three students and their parents in the helicopter accident.

“We want to express our support and love to their relatives and friends, and offer any support they may need,” the school writes in a statement.

“There are no words that can express what we feel at this moment,” the statement continues.

The school is preparing a memorial in remembrance of the family, which will be announced “in due time.”