RIO DE JANEIRO.- He singer American alternative pop Oliver Tree and the youtuber Argentinean Gaspar Prim They were traveling in one of the two helicopters that collided this Sunday in mid-flight in Brazil, leaving at least six dead, a police source informed AFP.
The names of Tree and Prim appear in the manifests shared by this source, who noted that the victims could not yet be formally identified as they were severely burned by the impact.
Among the passengers of the same helicopter In which Tree and Prim were there was also a Brazilian music producer and an Argentine filmmaker.
The helicopters collided on Sunday morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood, west of Rio de Janeiro, before crashing into the parking lot of an electric car dealership. The arson affected at least 20 vehicles, firefighters reported.
One of the helicopters carried five people and the other only the pilot. There were no survivors.
Tree, 32 years old and famous for his helmet haircut and eccentric personality, is the author of hits like Life Goes On, Miss You and Alien Boy. With more than 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify, his most popular songs have been listened to more than 700 million times.
In recent days, Tree’s Instagram account showed videos of him in Brazil, where he performed in Sao Paulo on June 6 as part of his tour of more than 30 countries. Their next concert was scheduled in Lisbon on July 1.
Prim, known online as Gaspi, was 23 years old. With 2.84 million followers on YouTube, he stood out for his humor-filled content and street interviews.
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated earlier that there were “foreign citizens on board one of the aircraft,” without giving further details.
“A very strong explosion”
“I was working and I heard a very loud explosion. The place shook,” Thamires Santos, 27, an employee of a Burger King restaurant, told AFP.
“There was a helicopter coming from one side and another from the other. They met, collided and parts of the helicopters flew in all directions,” he said.
Firefighters spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brazil at the scene that it was still unclear how exactly the accident unfolded.
“Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary (…) we need to obtain the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened,” he said.
Contreiras said rescue teams found a burning helicopter among the electric cars, with five victims inside. The second helicopter, found about 100 meters away, was carrying only the pilot.
More water needed
Images broadcast by local media showed a dense column of black smoke rising from the dealership, where several cars were on fire.
Contreiras noted that the fact that the aircraft had crashed in the parking area had prevented a higher death toll.
“Given the surrounding homes, the accident could have been much more tragic,” he said.
The fire brigade spokesperson highlighted the difficulties of fighting a fire that affects electric vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries.
“When this type of battery catches fire, it releases highly toxic gases and increases both the temperature and intensity of the fire. Putting out a fire in one of these vehicles requires three to four times the amount of water needed for a fire in a conventional car,” he explained.
Small aircraft accidents are common in Brazil, the world’s fifth largest country.
Last month, a small plane crashed into a building in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, killing the pilot and co-pilot.
In Brazil there have been 84 air accidents so far in 2026, resulting in 25 deaths, according to statistics from the Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) of the air force.
