GUWAHATI: A family sightseeing tour ended in heartbreak on Thursday when a helicopter plunged into the Hudson River, killing all six people on board — including Agustín Escobar, a prominent executive at Siemens, one of Europe’s leading technology corporations.
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According to media reports, Escobar was travelling with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children, aged 4, 5, and 11, when the tragedy occurred. The helicopter’s pilot also perished in the crash.
Escobar, based in Barcelona, had recently been serving as the CEO of Siemens Spain and Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility. The multinational giant, headquartered in Germany, has major operations in transportation, energy, industry, and healthcare. Escobar had over two decades of global experience across the US, Latin America, Germany, and Spain, as outlined on his LinkedIn profile.
The family had only just arrived in New York when they boarded the ill-fated tour operated by New York Helicopter Tours. A joyful family photo taken before takeoff, published by the New York Post, shows them smiling and bundled up for the cold weather.
The Bell 206 helicopter took off from Wall Street Heliport around 3:00 PM and was flying over Manhattan when disaster struck. Witnesses reported seeing part of the rotor blade detach mid-flight before the aircraft spun out of control and plummeted into the Hudson near Pier 40, close to the George Washington Bridge.
Rescue teams later recovered the wreckage, which was found overturned and submerged in the icy waters.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Former Siemens Spain head Miguel Ángel López described Escobar as a “key figure” in Siemens’ transportation strategy. “His leadership has played a vital role in the company’s mobility success,” López had said in an earlier statement.
In the wake of the tragedy, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former U.S. President Donald Trump expressed their condolences to the victims’ families.
