Six people have died this Sunday after the mid-air collision of two helicopters over Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
The accident occurred around 9:00 AM local time and the causes of the crash are still unknown. As confirmed by firefighters, all the deceased were traveling in the aircraft.
One of the aircraft exploded upon falling
One of the aircraft fell in the Recreio neighborhood, in the southwest of the Brazilian city, and exploded upon hitting the ground.
The helicopter plunged onto an electric car parking lot, causing a fire that burned around 20 vehicles. The six fatalities are the four passengers of one of the helicopters, its pilot, and the commander of the other aircraft. For now, no further details have been released about the identity of the deceased or the origin or destination of the flights.
Investigation opened
Brazilian authorities are now investigating the causes of the collision, which occurred in a city where helicopter traffic is common.
In Rio de Janeiro, it is common to see aircraft flying over Guanabara Bay and coastal areas, especially in air corridors used for private, tourist, or corporate travel.
The parking lot belonged to an abandoned church
According to the Brazilian outlet G1, cited by El País, the parking lot where one of the helicopters crashed was land belonging to an abandoned church.
The space had been rented by the Chinese electric car company BYD to park vehicles.
A tragedy in broad daylight
The collision between the two aircraft has generated a large mobilization of emergency services in Rio de Janeiro.
Firefighters worked in the impact zone to control the fire, secure the area, and recover the aircraft wreckage, while authorities try to reconstruct the last minutes of the flight.