BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥 Hundreds of people packed into a Barcelona church on Tuesday to mourn a Spanish family of five who died earlier this month in a sightseeing helicopter crash in New York City and whose bodies were laid to rest in Spain.
As church bells tolled against a brilliant blue sky, mourners gathered and wept quietly as they paid respects to Agust铆n Escobar, Merc猫 Camprub铆 Montal and their three young children, all of whom were killed on April 11 when a and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey.
鈥淲e have been in pain for the last 11 days, but they will always remain in our memories and remind us from up high to never lose our ability to smile," said the woman's father, Joan Camprub铆, during the funeral service.
He thanked those who attended, which included Catalonia's regional leader Salvador Illa and Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, and shared memories of his daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren. Camprub铆 also mentioned , saying that the pontiff believed in the transformative power of a 鈥渟mile and a sense of humor.鈥
A trip that was intended to celebrate the ninth birthday of the couple's middle child . Shortly before the flight over the towering skyscrapers of New York City took off, a photo shows Agust铆n Escobar flashing a thumbs-up while his wife and children beamed big smiles.
Despite the tragedy, relatives of the Barcelona family on Tuesday recalled the joy that their lost loved ones gave them and the family's love for life. Several dozen people watched the nearly two-hour service on screens set up outside the front entrance of the church, which had reached capacity.
Escobar was global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility while Merc猫 Camprub铆 Montal worked for Siemens Energy, a separate company. Camprub铆 Montal鈥檚 grandfather was a former president of the famous Barcelona FC soccer club. Their children Agust铆n, Merc猫 and V铆ctor were 10, 9 and 4.
The service ended with photos displayed of the family during previous holidays and at family gatherings. As family and friends recalled happier moments in the Barcelona family's life, the song playing was Frank Sinatra's 鈥淣ew York, New York.鈥
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Naishadham contributed from Madrid.
