By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NEW YORK, USA (Worthy News)— Six people, including three children, have died after a sightseeing helicopter crashed into New York City’s Hudson River Thursday, officials confirmed.
The victims, the pilot, and five passengers were believed to include a family from Spain, said New York Mayor Eric Adams.
“At this time, all six victims have been removed from the water. And sadly, all six victims have been pronounced deceased,” Adams told reporters.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. However, investigators reported that the chopper was found upside down in 50-degree (10-degree Celsius) water when rescuers arrived at the scene.
Witnesses reacted in shock when the helicopter came down followed by a massive splash of water, revealed video footage reviewed by Worthy News. Landing skids were seen beside a tunnel vent in the river as several boats clustered around the impact site.
Witnesses saw police from both New York and New Jersey, which is on the opposite side of the river from Manhattan, responding to the scene along with fire department vessels.
The New York Helicopters tour aircraft departed at 2:59 p.m. local time and later lost control. At around 3:15 p.m., it hit the water upside down near Lower Manhattan and became submerged in the river, officials said.
REMOVING VICTIMS
Specially trained divers helped remove the victims from the water. Four were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to area hospitals, where they succumbed to their injuries, according to authorities.
Adams called it a “heartbreaking and tragic crash.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the helicopter was a Bell 206. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation.
Thursday’s crash in the Hudson River came 16 years after nine people died when a tour helicopter and a small private airplane collided over the waterway on August 8, 2009.
However, earlier that year, on January 15, 2009, pilots Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles decided to glide their Airbus A320 aircraft into the Hudson River near Midtown Manhattan.
The plane flying as US Airways Flight 1549 was struck by a flock of birds shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia, losing all engine power.
Given their position relative to the available airports and their low altitude, the pilots saw gliding into the Hudson River as the only option. It became known as the “miracle on the Hudson,” as all 155 people on board were rescued by nearby boats, although 100 were injured, five of them seriously.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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