Family killed in Hudson River helicopter crash seen in picture thought to be taken moments before tragic accident

The family of five who were killed in the New York Helicopter crash have been identified, after a picture thought to be taken moments before their death was released.

A tragic image of the Spanish tourists who died in a fatal helicopter crash, including a family of two adults and three children, has been published.

The family, who lived in Barcelona, were all smiles as they stood outside the aircraft awaiting for their tour in the sky yesterday (10 April).

But it was approximately 15 minutes after take off that the helicopter failed, as witnesses recall the chopper splitting in half mid air, before plummeting into the Hudson River.

Footage of the tragic incident shows the aircraft falling out of the sky upside down, before tragically landing in the river.

The gut-wrenching pictures show the family before take off (New York Helicopter Tours LLC)

City Mayor Eric Adams has said his 'heart goes out' to the families of victims, as the crash is currently under investigation.

The New York Times have released the identities of the victims, which included Agustín Escobar, the chief executive for rail infrastructure for the technology company Siemens, his three children and his wife.

His wife has been identified as Merce Camprubi Montal, who was a global manager at an energy technology company.

The children were aged four, five and 11.

Michael Roth, 71, CEO of the touring company who operated the aircraft, has stated that the pilot had radioed to say they were returning to the helipad, but failed to arrive.

Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: "He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive."

The family of five have now been identified (New York Helicopter Tours LLC)

Speaking of his devastation, he added: "We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.

"The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster."

But the CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, couldn't fathom how the crash had occurred.

He told the New York Post: "The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter."

Helplessly, he added: "And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business.

"The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know."

Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two were pulled from the water alive but later died from their injuries in hospital.