LONG BEACH, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Singer Oliver Tree performs onstage during Music Tastes Good Festival at Marina Green Park on September 29, 2018 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Just one day after a 21-year-old died during a bungee jump in Brazil, six others have passed away in separate airborne accidents. Local firefighters said two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning and crashed in the city’s western zone. All six people abroad, including singer Oliver Tree, died.
Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed on the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked. The incident ignited a fire that firefighters extinguished. Officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision, per The Associated Press.
Additionally, police said that American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was on the list of passengers given to aviation authorities. However, they have not been able to identify the bodies of those killed in the crash. Tree performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 4. Also, he published a video on his Instagram account on Saturday showing him playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood.
Argentine streaming channel Blender said that content creator Gaspar Prim Daz also known as Gaspi was in one of the helicopters. Gaspi had more than 2.8 million YouTube followers and was 23.
“Thanks for your art, your magic and your sensibility, every one of us will miss you,” Blender said on its X account.
Fernandes de Freitas, a tire repair worker, said he saw one of the helicopters in flames following the midair collision. Also, he noticed that one of the passengers jumped out of the other aircraft before it hit the ground.
“It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” De Freitas said.
Associated Press writers Diarlei Rodrigues and Ramiro Barreiro contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
