A helicopter crashed this Saturday in a wooded area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, causing the death of four people: the aircraft pilot and three passengers, according to a statement from the local Fire Department.
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Brazilian media, including O Globo, preliminarily reported that the three passengers are Colombians Rocío Cubillos, Sofía Murillo, and Wendy Manrique, who were relatives and were visiting the city.
The pilot, meanwhile, is Alessandro Rocha, who had 20 years of experience as an ultralight and helicopter instructor.
The aircraft crashed in Tijuca National Park, a densely wooded area on the slope of a mountain, which required deploying a large rescue operation due to the complexity of accessing the area.
The accident triggered an emergency response mid-morning, when the local Fire Department received the alert and sent teams to the site. The exact location of the wreckage required aerial support, as the aircraft fell on a vegetation-covered slope, according to CNN Brazil.
Thus, the helicopter wreckage was detected by an aerial operations group, which allowed guiding the advance of ground brigades to the crash site.
The rescue operation mobilized 40 military personnel, 11 vehicles, and four operational units, according to O Globo.
The firefighters confirmed that the victims were unrecognizable due to burns and released images showing the aircraft engulfed in flames in the heart of the forest, near Vista Chinesa, a popular viewpoint with panoramic views of the city and the sea.
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As the hours passed, the Government of Colombia, through its foreign ministry, deeply regretted the air accident in which three Colombian citizens died.
In a social media post, it also informed that “the Colombian Consulate in Rio de Janeiro is contacting the families of the compatriots to provide the appropriate guidance and is coordinating with local authorities to carry out the relevant procedures.”
For his part, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere, requested the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), immediate measures to increase oversight and strengthen the safety of helicopter operations in the city.
In his post, Cavaliere also supported the temporary suspension of panoramic flights while the aviation authority expands supervision of this type of activity.
It is worth remembering that today’s accident adds to the air collision between two helicopters, also in Rio de Janeiro, which last June caused the death of six people, including the famous American singer Oliver Tree and the Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim.
The aircraft involved in today’s accident was a Robinson R44 helicopter, registration PP-MFS, operated by Voos Rio Panorâmico e Serviços Aeronáuticos Ltda., a company dedicated to conducting tourist tours over different points of Rio.
According to ANAC data, it was in normal airworthiness conditions and had a certificate valid until June 5, 2027. The aircraft was also authorized to conduct panoramic flights, as reported by AFP.
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