Latest news with #CamprubíMontal
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Yahoo
Devastated brother of mom killed in Hudson River helicopter crash delivers heartbreaking tribute after laying flowers at site of tragedy
The devastated brother of Hudson River helicopter crash victim Mercè Camprubí Montal paid a grim visit to the scene of the fatal accident Saturday, as he promised to 'never forget' his tragic family members. 'We will never forget you,' said Joan Camprubí Montal in his native Spanish after reciting all five of their names. 'We will keep your smile alive every day of our lives, and I believe that's the best legacy we can give you.' Camprubí Montal, who flew into the Big Apple from Spain, briefly spoke to the media Saturday after first meeting with Mayor Eric Adams and laying a wreath on the Jersey City side of the scene, not far from where the sightseeing chopper carrying the family of five and their pilot plummeted into the chilly waters. Adams laid flowers for chopper pilot and Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, who was also killed. 'This is a really difficult situation but we are overwhelmed by the massive condolences we've received,' Camprubí Montal added. '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.' He said he'd like to bring the five bodies back to Spain as soon as possible, 'to rest in peace together in our place.' Adams called Thursday's fatal helicopter crash an 'unspeakable' tragedy. 'Our hearts are broken,' started Adams, noting the flower-laying on the Hudson 'was a symbolic gesture for the loss of life' that happened Thursday. It is also, Adams said, '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. 'Their grief is our grief,' Adams insisted. 'Their sorrow is our sorrow.' Killed in the Thursday crash were Johnson, Camprubí Montal, her husband, Agustin Escobar, and their three children — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4. The family was in town celebrating both Mercè's 40th birthday and Mercedes' 9th birthday, which would've been on Friday. The aircraft went down 25 minutes after takeoff from Manhattan's Downtown Skyport. Camprubí Montal's family, which made their fortune in textile manufacturing, is best known in her hometown by their reign over FC Barcelona — one of the world's biggest and richest soccer clubs, La Vanguardia reported. The chopper crashed near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey, moments after the main and tail rotor detached from the body of the aircraft. NYPD personnel recovered one of the helicopter's doors during a search of the river Saturday. The craft's rotor blades remain missing. The exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined and could take weeks, officials said. The doomed helicopter, owned by Louisiana's Meridian Helicopters and operated by New York Helicopter, experienced a mechanical issue with its transmission assembly last September, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. The company said that it was 'not operating until further notice.' In a statement posted to its site, the firm said it was 'profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one of our helicopters in the Hudson River.' The statement insisted 'the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,' and that company's 'immediate focus is supporting the families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations.' Records show the aircraft was built in 2004 and had already logged 12,728 hours of flight time when it was forced into repair. New York Helicopter made headlines in June 2013, when a Bell 206 chopper carrying four Swedish tourists crash landed in the Hudson when the aircraft lost power. Somehow, the pilot and four family members miraculously survived.
Boston Globe
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Tragic New York City helicopter crash hits home in Barcelona where victims were well-known
Condolences poured in Friday for the Barcelona family, including Spain's prime minister, the company where the parents worked and the school where their children studied. Escobar and Mercè Camprubí Montal were both executives at units of energy technology company Siemens. Camprubí Montal also had ties to the famous Barcelona FC soccer club. Her grandfather was a former president of the famous Barcelona soccer club. The children were 4, 8 and 10 years old. The middle child's 9th birthday would have been Friday. Advertisement 'Unimaginable,' was how Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the tragedy. 'The news that has reached us about a helicopter accident in the Hudson River is devastating,' Sánchez said on X while on a state visit to China. 'Five members of a Spanish family, including three children, have lost their lives. It is an unimaginable tragedy. I feel for the loss of their loved ones.' Classmates shocked Students at the Jesuits of Sant Ignasi school in Barcelona's upscale Sarria neighborhood wept and embraced their parents Friday afternoon, after having learned of the deaths of their friends and classmates, as seen by an Associated Press reporter. Advertisement A father at the school's entrance said his son had been friends with one of children who perished, and is completely devastated. The man declined to be named. The school published a statement on Instagram saying it was 'devastated by the death of a family of our community.' It declined to comment when contacted by the AP. 'My endless source of energy and happiness' Escobar was originally from Puertollano, a small city in central Spain's Castilla La Mancha region. 'I want to express my sorrow for the traffic helicopter accident in New York that claimed the lives of Agustín Escobar and his family,' regional president Emiliano García-Page wrote on X. 'In 2023 we named him a Favorite Son of Castilla La Mancha.' Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years, most recently as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account. In late 2022, he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain. He regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often traveled internationally for work, including journeying to India and the United Kingdom in the past month. He also was vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain since 2023. In a LinkedIn post in 2022, he thanked his family, 'my endless source of energy and happiness, for their unconditional support, love ... and patience.' Soccer club connection His wife, Camprubí Montal, hailed from northeast Catalonia, where Barcelona is located. She had worked for Siemens Energy for about seven years, including as its global commercialization manager and as a digitalization manager, according to her LinkedIn account. She was also closely tied to the history of the famous Barcelona soccer club. Her grandfather, Agustí Montal i Costa, was president of the club from 1969 to 1977, and her great-grandfather Agustí Montal i Galobart, presided the club from 1946-1952. Advertisement The club has so far not commented on her death. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,' Siemens said in a statement Friday. Doomed Flight Escobar had traveled to the New York area on business and his family flew in to extend the trip a few days, said Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City. Photos posted by the tour company on its website show the family smiling in the helicopter before takeoff. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the children were 4, 8 and 10 years old, and that the middle child's birthday was Friday. Jersey City's Mayor Fulop said a relative was expected to arrive Friday and officials were working with the medical examiner to release the bodies for transport back to Spain. AP photojournalist Emilio Morenatti contributed.
