BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥 As they sat inside a helicopter shortly before a flight over the towering skyscrapers of New York City, Agustin Escobar flashed a thumbs-up while his wife and children beamed big smiles.
A trip that was intended to celebrate their middle child鈥檚 upcoming birthday for the family of five from Spain. Moments later, their sightseeing helicopter into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing them and the pilot.
Condolences poured in Friday for the Barcelona family, including Spain鈥檚 prime minister, the company where the parents worked and the school where their children studied.
Escobar was global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, while his wife, 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.
The children were 4, 8 and 10 years old, and the would have been Friday, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
鈥淯nimaginable,鈥 was how Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez described the tragedy.
鈥淭he news that has reached us about a helicopter accident in the Hudson River is devastating,鈥 S谩nchez said on X during a state visit to China. 鈥淔ive members of a Spanish family, including three children, have lost their lives. It is an unimaginable tragedy. I feel for the loss of their loved ones.鈥
Classmates shocked
Students at the Jesuits of Sant Ignasi school in Barcelona鈥檚 upscale Sarria neighborhood wept and embraced their parents Friday afternoon, after learning of the deaths of their friends and classmates, as seen by an Associated Press reporter.
The school held a minute of silence in the morning, Oleguer Bertran, an 18-year-old student, told the AP.
A father at the school鈥檚 entrance said his son had been friends with one of children who perished, and is completely devastated. The man declined to be named.
The school published a statement on Instagram saying it was 鈥渄evastated by the death of a family of our community.鈥 It declined to comment when contacted by the AP.
'My endless source of energy and happiness鈥
Escobar was originally from Puertollano, a small city in central Spain's Castilla La Mancha region.
鈥淚 want to express my sorrow for the traffic helicopter accident in New York that claimed the lives of Agust铆n Escobar and his family,鈥 regional president Emiliano Garc铆a-Page wrote on X. 鈥淚n 2023, we named him a Favorite Son of Castilla La Mancha.鈥
Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years, most recently as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account. In late 2022, he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain.
He regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often traveled internationally for work, including to India and the United Kingdom in the past month. He also was vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain since 2023.
In a LinkedIn post in 2022, he thanked his family, 鈥渕y endless source of energy and happiness, for their unconditional support, love ... and patience.鈥
Soccer club connection
Camprub铆 Montal hailed from northeast Catalonia, where Barcelona is. She had worked for Siemens Energy for about seven years, including as its global commercialization manager and as a digitalization manager, according to her LinkedIn account.
She was also closely tied to the history of the famous Barcelona soccer club. Her grandfather, Agust铆 Montal i Costa, was president of the club from 1969 to 1977, and her great-grandfather Agust铆 Montal i Galobart, presided over the club from 1946-1952.
The club has not commented on her death.
鈥淲e are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,鈥 Siemens said in a statement Friday.
鈥楽miles on their faces鈥
Escobar had traveled to the New York area on business, and his family flew in to extend the trip by a few days, said Steven Fulop, mayor of Jersey City. Photos the tour company posted on its website show the family smiling in the helicopter before takeoff.
On Saturday, Adams and Joan Camprub铆 Montal, Merc猫 Camprub铆 Montal's brother, visited the crash site and laid flowers.
鈥淚t is our way of saying, as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief, and their grief is ours,鈥 Adams said.
Joan Camprub铆 Montal on Saturday expressed gratitude for the outpouring of condolences to his family
鈥淭hey left together. They left without suffering. And they left with a smile on their faces. And that鈥檚 important for us as a family,鈥 he said.
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Associated Press photojournalist Emilio Morenatti contributed. Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed.
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This story has been corrected to show Camprub铆 Montal worked for Siemens Energy and her husband was employed by a separate company, Siemens Mobility. An earlier version said they both worked for Siemens.
