Agustin Escobar: Siemens chief executive and family identified as victims of New York helicopter crash

A tech chief executive, along with his family, have been identified as five of the six people who lost their lives when a blade broke loose from a helicopter in New York, sending the craft plummeting into the Hudson River.

Agustin Escobar, chief executive of Siemens’ Spanish division, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children aged 4, 5 and 11, have been identified as the victims in the horrific chopper disaster.

The Barcelona-based family had booked a tourist flight around the city with New York Helicopters for Thursday.

The tour flight departed from Wall Street, taking a scenic tour before turning the helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge.

Around 15 minutes into the flight, at 3.17pm local time, the helicopter plummeted into the Hudson River at speed.

The FAA are investigating the disaster, however, video shared online shows the main body of the helicopter falling at speed out of the sky into the river, with the rotor blade staying airborne for a short moment, before spiralling towards the river and landing some metres away from the main craft.

Footage of the incident spread quickly online as a desperate rescue operation was launched by both New York and New Jersey authorities. However, as weather conditions quickly changed and the extent of the crash became clear, the rescue turned to a recovery.

Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene after being retrieved by divers, two other died shortly after at a nearby hospital.

A pilot was also on board the craft but is yet to be identified.

US President Donald Trump described the tragedy as “horrible”.

“The footage of the accident is horrendous,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it.

“Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly.”

“Our hearts go out to the family and those on board,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday while addressing media.

An FAA statement released around an hour after the tragedy said: “A Bell 206 helicopter crashed and is submerged in the Hudson River in New York City.“

“The number of people on board is unknown at this time. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.”

Mr Escobar was appointed one of Siemens chief executives in 2022, leading the company in Spain and Southwest Europe.