Six people are dead after a helicopter crashed in California on Friday, killing the CEO of a Nigerian bank, his family and two pilots.
The aircraft, an Airbus EC130, was making its way from Palm Springs, California to Boulder City, Nevada , just outside of Las Vegas , where the Super Bowl is being held on Sunday . It crashed near Baker, California around 10pm, the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department said.
Witnesses said they could see fire coming from the aircraft after it made contact with the desert terrain, close to Interstate 15 in Halloran Springs, California.
The President of Nigeria , Bold Ahmed Tinbu, confirmed the deaths of Herbert Wigwe, the CEO of Access Holdings, his wife, Chizoba Wigwe and their son Chizi Wigwe.
Abimbola Ogunbanjo, the former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, was also on board the helicopter.
“This passing is an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension,” the president said. “I pray for the peaceful repose of the departed.”