Agustín Escobar, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, Spain, and his family have been identified as among the people who were killed in a helicopter crash in New York, United States.
Mercè Camprubí, Escobar’s wife, was also an executive at Siemens Energy, a separate company.
The couple had three children—Agustín, 10; Mercè, eight, and Víctor, four—who were also killed in the crash on Thursday.
Providing details on the crash, Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, said Escobar was in the city for a business trip until the family flew out to extend the stay to a couple more days in neighbouring New York to celebrate Camprubí’s 40th birthday.
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The celebration happened on the same day as the crash.
Fulop added that Camprubí’s brother was en route to the city as of Friday morning, adding that they were working with the medical examiner’s office to expedite the release of the family’s remains to Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the crash was “an unimaginable tragedy” and “devastating”.
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Roland Busch, Siemens CEO, said he and the company were “deeply saddened” by the loss and would miss Escobar and his family “immensely”.
Authorities have described the crash as “rare,” after the helicopter broke apart in midair barely 15 minutes after takeoff before plunging into the Hudson river near the New Jersey shoreline.
A cause for the helicopter crash has not been determined.
Sean Duffy, transportation secretary, said the helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 Long Ranger IV, was located in a “special flight rules area” in New York where no air traffic control services are provided.
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The Federal Aviation Administration said it is leading an investigation into the incident with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The identity of the pilot—the fifth person aboard—has yet to be announced.
