Helicopter crash in New York's Hudson River kills six, including a Spanish tourist family and the pilot.

New York City authorities have confirmed that six people lost their lives after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday.

"All six victims have been removed from the water. And sadly, all six victims have been pronounced deceased," stated New York Mayor Eric Adams during a press briefing. He added that among the deceased were three adults and three children.

Mayor Adams further revealed that the victims included the helicopter’s pilot and a family of tourists visiting from Spain.

The helicopter reportedly took off at 2:59 p.m. local time (6:59 p.m. UTC) and went down approximately 20 minutes later.

According to officials and eyewitness accounts, the aircraft's propeller and tail detached in midair before it plunged into the river and overturned upon impact.

Emergency responders, including police and fire department divers, recovered four of the victims, who were pronounced dead at the scene. The remaining two victims succumbed to their injuries in the hospital shortly thereafter.

The Hudson River, located west of Manhattan, is a bustling waterway and was also the site of a remarkable 2009 aviation incident known as the "Miracle on the Hudson," when a US Airways aircraft made an emergency landing in the river. All 155 people on board that flight survived.

CBS News reported that the helicopter involved in Thursday’s crash was operating as a tourist charter flight. It had flown over Governor’s Island and passed near the Statue of Liberty prior to the accident.

Marine emergency crews responded swiftly to the scene, where water temperatures were measured at around 45 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 6 degrees Celsius).

Weather reports indicated overcast skies in the area at the time of the crash, though visibility over the river remained relatively unaffected.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the downed aircraft as a Bell 206 helicopter, a model frequently utilized in both commercial and government aviation sectors.

Manhattan’s airspace is regularly busy with both private and commercial air traffic. The city has experienced a number of helicopter and aircraft incidents over the years. In one notable case in 2009, nine people perished when a plane and a sightseeing helicopter collided over the Hudson River. In another incident in 2018, a charter helicopter crashed into the East River, claiming the lives of five people.

Thursday’s tragedy marks the latest in a string of high-profile air crashes in the United States in recent months.

In January, seven individuals died when a medical transport plane crashed in Philadelphia.

That fatal event occurred just two days after a catastrophic collision near Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, where an American Airlines jet and three Army helicopter crew members were involved. All 64 passengers and crew aboard the jet were killed, making it one of the most devastating air disasters in the U.S. in recent years.

Additionally, on Thursday, a separate incident occurred at Reagan Airport, where two passenger planes clipped wings in a minor ground collision. According to reports, six members of Congress were aboard one of the aircraft. No injuries were reported in that event.