The head of the Spanish division of global technology giant Siemens and his family were identified as five of the people who were killed on the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, according to law enforcement sources.
Agustin Escobar, the president and CEO of Siemens in Spain, along with his wife and their three children, were killed in the crash when their helicopter went down into the Hudson River’s dark waters. Heartbreaking photos on the New York Helicopter Tours website show the family of five warmly dressed, smiling together in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and seated inside the aircraft, ready for the flight.
Voyage to Death
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Escobar’s wife was identified as Merce Camprubi Montal, according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News. The couple’s three children looked to be of middle school age or younger. Authorities said the family had only just arrived in New York City from Barcelona earlier that same day.
As of Thursday night, the pilot’s identity had not been released.
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The tourist helicopter reportedly broke apart while in flight before crashing straight down into the Hudson River around 3:15 p.m.
Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were later confirmed dead at the hospital, officials said. The exact cause of the crash remains unclear as an investigation is currently in progress.
Escobar brought with him 25 years of global experience, having led operations in various regions including the United States, South America, Spain, and Germany, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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He had been serving as the CEO of Siemens Spain since the end of 2022.
When the German multinational corporation announced Escobar’s appointment, his predecessor, Miguel Ángel López, praised his contributions, saying Escobar’s efforts had been instrumental to Siemens’ achievements in the areas of mobility and transportation.
Big Loss
Escobar had also been serving as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility since October of last year, according to his profile. Witnesses said that the helicopter carrying Escobar and his family appeared to lose parts of the helicopter as it plunged into the water.
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“But you could literally see that the propeller just snapped right off. You can see it snap off, and then it just came straight down,” witness Charles McSorley said.
The helicopter had been airborne for just 16 minutes after taking off from the Wall Street Heliport and flying near the Statue of Liberty before crashing into the water.
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Dani Horbiak told ABC News that she saw the helicopter “drop from the sky” while watching from her apartment. “I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river,” she said.
The cause of the helicopter crash is still unclear, as rescue teams were seen retrieving twisted wreckage from the water late Thursday night. Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Charter and owner of the tour company, told the New York Post after the incident that he was “completely heartbroken.”
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter. And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business,” he said.
