
Horrified onlooker films after helicopter hits power lines and crashes into Mississippi river, killing two
Footage recorded by horrified onlookers on Thursday (7 August) shows the aftermath of the crash, as plumes of black smoke rise into the air.
Witness Adam Briggs said he was on the shore opposite when he saw the helicopter 'hit the power line' and 'blow up'.
The two people onboard the aircraft have since been confirmed dead by the Federal Aviation Administration. No other injuries were reported.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump wants to evict homeless from Washington and send them 'far from the capital'
WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump pledged on Sunday to evict homeless people from the nation's capital and jail criminals, despite Washington's mayor arguing there is no current spike in crime. "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong," Trump posted on the Truth Social platform. The White House declined to explain what legal authority Trump would use to evict people from Washington. The Republican president controls only federal land and buildings in the city. Trump is planning to hold a press conference on Monday to "stop violent crime in Washington, D.C." It was not clear whether he would announce more details about his eviction plan then. Trump's Truth Social post included pictures of tents and D.C. streets with some garbage on them. "I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," he said. According to the Community Partnership, an organization working to reduce homelessness in D.C., on any given night there are 3,782 single persons experiencing homelessness in the city of about 700,000 people. Most of the homeless individuals are in emergency shelters or transitional housing. About 800 are considered unsheltered or "on the street," the organization says. A White House official said on Friday that more federal law enforcement officers were being deployed in the city following a violent attack on a young Trump administration staffer that angered the president. The Democratic mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, said on Sunday the capital was "not experiencing a crime spike." "It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023," Bowser said on MSNBC's The Weekend. "We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low." The city's police department reports that violent crime in the first seven months of 2025 was down by 26% in D.C. compared with last year while overall crime was down about 7%. Bowser said Trump is "very aware" of the city's work with federal law enforcement after meeting with Trump several weeks ago in the Oval Office. The U.S. Congress has control of D.C.'s budget after the district was established in 1790 with land from neighboring Virginia and Maryland, but resident voters elect a mayor and city council. For Trump to take over the city, Congress likely would have to pass a law revoking the law that established local elected leadership, which Trump would have to sign. Bowser on Sunday noted the president's ability to call up the National Guard if he wanted, a tactic the administration used recently in Los Angeles after immigration protests over the objections of local officials.


Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Heartfelt tribute paid to family killed in 'fireball' crash hours after renting car on holiday in Portugal
Heartfelt tributes have been paid to a family killed in a 'fireball' crash just hours after they rented a car while holidaying in Portugal. Domingos Serrano, 55, and his wife Maria Serrano 51, alongside their twin sons Domingos and Afonso, both aged 20, tragically died at the scene near Castro Verde. The family, believed to have been living in Thetford, Norfolk, were driving at around 1.40am on Saturday when their nissan Juke, rented just hours earlier at Faro Airport, hit another car on a bend. The tragedy took place along the IP2 main road in Castro Verde where signs shows the speed limit is 80km/h. The driver of the second vehicle involved, named locally as 26-year-old Portuguese mine worker Ruben Conclaves, also sadly died. The father-of-one had been driving south of the IP2. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Polish partner of one of the twins, identified locally by the first name Veronica, is also understood to have passed away following the collision. Pictures from the crash scene showed the mangled wreckage of one of the two vehicles involved in the accident beside the road, with the vehicle initially said to have burst into flames. Now, heartbreaking tributes have poured in for the family, who were living in the UK but are understood to have not been British nationals. Thetford Football Club described twins Domingos and Afonso as 'an integral part' of the U18s team, saying that they wished to 'pass on our sincere condolences to the Serrano family and the local Portuguese community'. The Norfolk club added: 'The loss of this lovely family will leave a massive void in the local community.' Meanwhile, Thetford Bulldogs Football Club remembered the twins, both former players for the club, as part of the 'Bulldogs family'. They added: 'Yesterday the club received tragic news that former players Dom and Alfonso Serrano lost their lives in a car accident while heading to a summer holiday. 'Dom and Alfonso were part of our Bulldogs family under Jo and Tom before transitioning to senior football. 'Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with their families and loved ones during this devastating time.' The post concluded: 'Partiram, mas nunca serao esquecidos,' which translates to: 'They are gone, but they will never be forgotten.' The tragedy, was said by Mourau authorities to have taken place during the family's 'usual and deserved vacation' as they travelled north from the Algarve. Well-placed police sources said that the twins' parents hailed from Mourao and were returning to the municipality for holidays. Mr Domingos is also said to have celebrated his 55th birthday on Thursday just two days before flying to Portugal. In a statement, Mourao's municipal council confirmed the deaths, stating: 'It is with great regret that the municipality announces this information, offering its condolences to the families and friends of the victims,' it said. 'In the car there were four occupants, of Mouranese nature, and a young woman with affinity to the family. Residents in England, [they] follow from Faro to Mourão, for the usual and deserved vacation.' Following the incident, town hall chiefs in Mourao declared two days of mourning from Sunday, with several activities and events initially planned across the weekend immediately cancelled. Devastated commenters have taken to social media to pay tribute to the family following the fatal incident. One heartbroken social media user, understood to be a close friend of the family, wrote last night: 'Rest in peace friend Domingos Serrano and family.' Meanwhile, locals in Mourao also paid their respects to the family, with one user saying: 'My most sincere condolences to all those killed. I hope their souls rest in peace. 'It's so sad to hear of people leaving their homeland and friends in search of a better life and then have their lives end like this. How unfair life is.' Another commenter added: 'My sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed. 'Mourao must rally round to comfort the families of the victims.' Shortly following the incident, a police source close to the ongoing investigation into the early-hours said: 'The rental car was such a wreck officers could only recover half a number-plate and with that began working on trying to establish the identity. 'A daughter of the couple killed alongside their twin sons, worried because she had heard about the crash in Portugal and was concerned because she couldn't contact her loved ones, rang the police to speak about her fears it was her family involved. 'With the information she gave them officers made checks with the hire car firm at Faro Airport and tragically discovered a match. 'That was how they were able to confirm the identities of the five occupants in the car with the four members of the same family inside.' The circumstances surrounding the fatal accident are being investigated by the GNR police force. A spokesperson for Mourao's Municipal Council previously said: 'The Municipality, in coordination with the family and law enforcement authorities, namely the local GNR Post in Castro Verde, obtained the number plate of the vehicle they were travelling in and confirmed the identity of the passengers at 3:35 p.m today. 'There were four occupants in the car, all from Mourao, and a young woman with ties to the family. 'Residents of England, they were traveling from Faro to Mourao for their usual and well-deserved vacation. 'It is with great sadness that the Municipality announces this information, offering its condolences to the families and friends of the victims.'


BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Motorcyclist seriously injured on country lane near Ripon
A motorcyclist has been airlifted to hospital after suffering serious injuries in a crash with a 50-year-old man from Boroughbridge was riding near Ripon when his Kawasaki motorcycle collided with a Kia Niro on Sunday three occupants of the grey Kia were Yorkshire Police appealed for witnesses to the incident on a minor road between Pateley Bridge and Kirkby Malzeard at about 10:25 BST. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.