Four killed in helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO - Four people were killed in a helicopter crash on Aug 8 in Rio de Janeiro, fire officials said, with Brazilian media reporting three of the victims were Colombian tourists.

The helicopter went down in Tijuca National Park, a mountainside forest with very dense vegetation.

Firefighters confirmed the pilot and three women “burned to death” and released images showing the smoking remains of the aircraft on a steep, hard-to-reach hillside.

A police source told AFP the victims have yet to be officially identified, but local media reported the passengers were Colombian women, with news site G1 reporting they were members of the same family.

The aircraft went down near Vista Chinesa, a replica of a Chinese pagoda known for its high-altitude vantage point, with its views of Rio from the heart of the forest.

The monument appeared in the 2011 animated film Rio.

In June, two helicopters collided over Rio and left six people dead, including American singer Oliver Tree and Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim.

Helicopter rides are a popular attraction for tourists who want to see Rio de Janeiro’s famed sights and the natural splendor of the seaside metropolis.

Rio’s mayor Eduardo Cavaliere posted to X that he has asked Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency to immediately step up monitoring to ensure the safety of helicopter flights. AFP