Four killed in helicopter crash in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro

Rio De Janeiro, Aug 9 (IANS) At least four people were killed when a helicopter crashed in a forested area in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, firefighters said.

The crash occurred at about 11:11 a.m. local time in the Vista Chinesa area of Alto da Boa Vista on Saturday. The local fire department was called to the scene and later located the wreckage in an area of dense vegetation.

Specialised teams reached the crash site by land, while firefighting units were also deployed to extinguish a fire that broke out after the helicopter went down, reports Xinhua news agency.

The crash involved a pilot and three Colombian women who were members of the same family.

Authorities initially confirmed four deaths but had not yet released the victims’ details.

Rio’s mayor Eduardo Cavaliere posted to X: “My solidarity to the families of the victims of the helicopter accident that happened today near Vista Chinesa within the Tijuca National Park.”

He added that he had been in contact with Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency, ANAC: “@prefeitura_rio has requested that ANAC take immediate action to intensify oversight and ensure safety in helicopter flights that are circulating with increasing frequency in our city. We place the entire apparatus of @prefeitura_rio at the disposal of ANAC to support the measures and actions that may be necessary.”

Earlier In June, two helicopters collided over Rio and left six people dead, including American singer Oliver Tree and Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim.

Last year, a small aircraft was crashed and exploded next to a beach in the tourist city of Ubatuba, in the Brazilian southeastern state of Sao Paulo, with preliminary one death and seven other injuries, said the local fire department.

The deceased was the pilot who tried to land at the Ubatuba regional airport, but could not stop the speed and crossed the security fence of the air terminal.

–IANS

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