- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Leicester City FC Confirms Club Owner Died on Board Crashed Helicopter

© REUTERS / Darren StaplesLeicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha reacts as he walks to his helicopter which has landed on the pitch after a game
Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha reacts as he walks to his helicopter which has landed on the pitch after a game - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Thai tycoon Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who owned the Leicester City football club, was on board the helicopter that crashed Saturday near the club's home stadium after takeoff from the pitch, Leicestershire police said in a statement.

The football club confirmed that its owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, died in the crash of the helicopter at the club's home stadium.

"It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our Chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium. None of the five people on-board survived," the club said in a statement.

Agusta Westland AW-169 - Sputnik International
Helicopter of Leicester City Football Club Owner Crashes Near Stadium - Reports
The helicopter came down near the King Power Stadium around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday (21:30 GMT) shortly after a match between Leicester City and the West Ham United concluded, according to police.

Leicestershire police said in a separate statement that five people are believed to have died in the incident, including the Leicester City football club owner, two members of his staff, the pilot and an unnamed passenger.

"Five people are believed to have died when a helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium yesterday evening (Saturday 27 October)… The five people were on board the helicopter when the incident happened. While formal identification has not yet taken place, they are believed to be Leicester City Football Club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, two members of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz," the police said in statement.

Italian aerospace company Leonardo SpA said on Sunday it was ready to help with an investigation into the crash of one of its AW169 helicopters at Leicester City soccer club on Saturday, stressing that it was the first accident involving the aircraft, which was introduced in 2015, Reuters reported.

Leicester City was bought in 2010 by Vichai, who also owned the Thai duty-free retail giant King Power.

READ MORE: UK Launches Probe Into Thai Tycoon's Helicopter Crash at Leicester Stadium

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала