Investigators looking at a herd reports of birds monitored near the site of a helicopter crash in New York | United States news

Investigators say they are looking at reports that a large herd of birds were seen in front of a deadly helicopter in New York City.

The helicopter and a family of five Spanish tourists, including three children, were killed in the accident in the Hudson River at about 3.17 pm on Thursday.

Agustin Escobar, an executive official of Siemens, and his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, from Spain, reserved the helicopter tour to celebrate the birthday of their eight -year -old child.

Officials named the pilot named Seankse Johnson. He was 36 years old, according to the office of the mayor of Jersey City.

By submitting an update on the investigation into the accident, the President of the National Transport Safety Council, Jennifer Humandi, said that no initial reason has been determined.

In response to a question about the reports, a large herd of birds were seen in the area shortly before the accident, saying: “We are aware of these reports, we discussed this morning.

“It is something we are looking for. What I would like to say to the public is that if something shocks you or makes you stop, or express your mind you may want to share it with our investigators, there is no negative aspect in sharing this information with us.”

Mrs. Humandi said that divers were still recovering parts of the helicopter from Hudson – and revealed that the pilot had recorded more than 780 hours from the flight time.

previously, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tish said that divers had all recovered from the helicopter, which was upside down in the water.

She said: “Four victims were announced at the scene of the accident, and two others were transferred to the hospitals of the local area, where they both unfortunately surrendered to their injuries.”

Who are the victims?

The helicopter pilot was Seankeese Johnson, known as SEAN, who shared pictures and videos of his trips with a view on the Manhattan horizon in the background on social media. In the summer of 2023, it was announced that he was flying a Black Hawk helicopter to fight fires for a company based in Montana.

Travelers, Mr. Escobar, 49, and Mrs. Cambrobi Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor, four, Mercedes, eight years, Agoussin, 10 years old, died.

Stephen Voloub, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, wrote in a post on X.

Mrs. Camprubi Montal worked at Siemens Energy, a separate section of Siemens. Her grandfather was the former president of Barcelona.

In a statement issued by Instagram, the Jesuits at Saint Ignasi School, in Barcelona, ​​said that the employees and students had left “they were shaken and deeply saddened by the death of a family from our society.”

There are no words that can completely express all the feelings that overwhelm us at this moment, and we extend to all members of our school the desire to welcome them and support them in their grief, “the statement continued.

The school said that the events of honor and remember that the family will be announced in a timely manner.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the news as “destroyed”.

He wrote on x.

The rotation of the “flee”

The plane was on a tourist flight in Manhattan, run by the helicopter company in New York.

In a statement published on social media, the company said it was “very sad about the tragic accident and the loss of life”, and that the safety of the passenger, the crew and luxury “was always the cornerstone of our operations.”

The statement continued: “Our immediate focus is on the support of families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with investigations into the Federal Aviation Administration (Federal Aviation Administration) and NTSB (National Transport Safety Council).”

Witnesses described seeing the main rotary blade as it fly moments before it comes out of the sky.

Leslly Kamacho, a restaurant worker along the river in Hopockin, said she saw the helicopter revolving in an irreplaceable way before you enter the water.

She said, “There was a group of smoke coming out.

Another witness said, “We pray the helicopter.”

“I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it has decreased straight,” Avc Rakish told NBC News.

The video on social media showed parts of the Bell 206 helicopter pass through the air and landing in the river.

Mavalda Carvalho, of Brazil, told Sky News that she took the exact “helicopter tour” during a trip to New York just three weeks ago.

After I saw news about the incident, she said that she felt “really emotional and reflective because the truth is that we never know when our role might be … I saw the news that an entire family had lost their lives, it made me stop and really think.”

She added: “The helicopters in general are not the safest means of transportation, right?

The accident occurred near the sidewalk 40 and the Netherlands tunnel, which connects the Tribuka neighborhood in the lower Manhattan with Jersey City to the west.

Radar 24 radar tracked what he said was the helicopter road, with the plane appearing in the sky for 15 minutes before the accident.

The Thursday accident comes less than three months after the death of 67 people when The helicopter of the army and the US Airways plane collided Above the Botomac River in Washington, DC.