Leicester City helicopter crash

Leicester City FC owner travelling in a helicopter crashed in flames near the club’s ground, killing five people. The club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, along with two members of his staff, another passenger and the pilot  did not survive the crash according to the club.

“The helicopter took off from the King Power Stadium at about 20:30 BST on Saturday after Leicester City games. The blades had stopped spinning and then there was a big bang and a big fireball and it crashed right near the stadium, but cleared the stadium roof and landed in an industrial park next to it”, according to an eye witness.

It is not yet known what caused the helicopter crash.

According to Leicestershire Police, Mr Vichai, two members of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare and the pilot Eric Swaffer  and passenger Isabela Roza Lechowicz died in the crash. No-one on the ground was injured.

Thai billionaire Vicahi Srivaddhanaprabha was chariman of the community and his death in a helicopter crash capped a tragic end to a remarkable eight years. During the time Leicester City’s promotion from the Championship and peaked with the 5000-1 outsiders’ Premier League title win in 2016. Mr Vichai’s contribution to the city went beyond what happened in the pitch. He donated £2m to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Charity, £1m to the Foxes Foundation for community causes and £1m to Leicester University’s medical department.

Leicester’s mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said Mr Vichai “ didn’t just buy a football club and run it from a distance but he became a part of the city and became much loved here”.