In a freak aviation accident in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, two helicopters collided mid-air, with one of them crashing into the parking lot of an electric car dealership on Sunday.
All six people aboard the two helicopters were killed, firefighters said, The Associated Press reported.
The crash triggered a fire after one of the two helicopters fell on a car dealership as several electric vehicles were parked there. The fire was doused, while an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision.
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Visuals shared on social media platforms showed several vehicles up in flames as thick, black smoke billowing from the car dealership site while sirens blared in the background.
One visual also showed debris of a crashed helicopter on the ground in the car dealership premises as a man approached it with a fire extinguisher to prevent a further blaze.
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The helicopter that crashed on the car dealership area blasted after crashing on the ground and triggered secondary blasts, Anadolu Agency reported, adding that the other aircraft landed upside down without catching fire.
Debris from the wreckage scattered across a radius of at least 100 meters, with portions of the fuselage landing on the terraces of neighboring buildings, the report added.
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(HT could not independently verify the veracity of the videos)
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere that there were “foreign nationals on board one of the aircraft,” without giving further details, AFP reported.
Fire services spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil at the scene that it was unclear exactly how the accident unfolded.
“Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary. We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened,” he was quoted as saying, adding that workers had discovered one helicopter in flames among the electric cars, with five victims inside.
Contreiras said the fact that the aircraft had crashed in the parking area had prevented a higher death toll.
“Given the surrounding residences, the accident could have been far more tragic,” he said.
He highlighted the challenges in fighting a fire impacting electric vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries.
“When this type of battery catches fire, it releases highly toxic gases and intensifies both the temperature and the severity of the blaze. Extinguishing a fire in one of these vehicles requires three to four times the amount of water needed for a fire in a standard car.”
