The brother of a Hudson River helicopter crash victim has spoken out about the tragic loss.
All six people aboard the chopper operated by New York Helicopter died in the collision on 10 April.
The Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV crashed into the Hudson River near Jersey City after operating on its eight sightseeing flight of the day.
Pilot Sean Johnson and a Spanish family of five, including Siemens Spain executive Agustín Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children aged 4, 8, and 10, all died.
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Joan Camprubí Montal, the brother of the mum-of-three, spoke to the media on Saturday (12 April), alongside New York Mayor Eric Adams.
Montal, who flew in to New York from Spain, paid tribute to his family members and promised to 'never forget' them.
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“This is a really difficult situation but we are overwhelmed by the massive condolences we’ve received,” he admitted.
“I want to say they left together, they left without suffering, and they left with a smile on their faces, and that is important to us.”
The brother also made a request to bring the five bodies back to Spain 'to rest in peace together in our place.'
The helicopter crashed 25 minutes after departing from a lower Manhattan heliport at around 3.15pm on Thursday (10 April).
It flew up the west side of Manhattan, turned around near the George Washington Bridge and was heading south when it plummeted upside down into a the river.
Investigators say the exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined.
Escobar, a 49-year-old executive Siemens, had reportedly extended a business trip to the US to celebrate Mercedes’s ninth birthday, which would have been on Friday, as well as his wife’s upcoming 40th birthday.
Mayor Adams, who laid flowers for the pilot and Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, said it's an 'unspeakable' tragedy.
“Our hearts are broken,” he said, explaining that the flower-laying 'was a symbolic gesture for the loss of life.'
He added that it's 'our way of knowing and acknowledging our words can’t bring back their family members, but it is our way of saying, as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief.'
"NYPD units from aviation, harbour, scuba and patrol all responded, with our first units arriving at the site within minutes. Our NYPD divers entered the water, along with rescue personnel from FDNY, Port Authority and various New Jersey agencies," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
"NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site, and FDNY divers recovered an additional two. Immediate lifesaving measures were undertaken on the vessels on the scene as well as the adjoining pier. Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries."
Anish Vij