Six people died when a tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey, the Associated Press reported, citing US authorities.
There were no survivors in yesterday's crash - the latest air accident in the US in recent months. The bodies of all victims have been found and pulled from the river, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced.
Authorities said that a five-member Spanish tourist family and the helicopter pilot were killed. The victims are the director of the Spanish branch of the German concern "Siemens" (Siemens) Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal - a manager at an energy technology company, and their three children, aged 4, 5 and 11 respectively.
The family had only arrived in New York yesterday.
The city's fire department said it received a report of the crash at 3:17 p.m. (10:17 p.m. Bulgarian time).
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
A witness told the AP that the helicopter "fell apart" in mid-air after its tail and propeller broke off. The propeller continued to spin as it fell apart from the helicopter, he added.
Leslie Camacho, an employee at a riverside restaurant, said she saw the helicopter spinning uncontrollably in the air before it hit the water.
It was cloudy at the time of the crash, but visibility over the river was not restricted, the AP noted.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a "Bell 206" model.
The tourist helicopter took off at 2:59 p.m. and the pilot lost control shortly after, authorities said. Four people were found dead at the scene, while two others were taken to a hospital, where they later died, they said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it had opened an investigation into the crash.