A tragedy unfolded over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when two helicopters collided midair and crashed, killing all six people on board. The incident is drawing intense attention as U.S. singer-songwriter Oliver Tree (32) was reportedly among the passengers.
According to AP and other outlets on the 14th (local time), two helicopters collided in the skies over the western area of Rio de Janeiro in the early hours and then went down.
Rio’s Military Fire Brigade said one of the helicopters fell onto a car dealership’s parking lot, igniting several parked electric vehicles before the blaze was quickly extinguished. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Oliver Tree was said to be listed on the passenger manifest. However, authorities have not yet completed identification of the victims.
Meanwhile, Oliver Tree—reported to be among the dead—previously faced backlash from K-pop fans after using a memorial portrait of the late SHINee member Jonghyun without permission. At the time of the crash, he was in the middle of a world tour spanning 70 shows across seven continents.