It departed from the Wall Street Heliport, passed near the Statue of Liberty, and began flying north along the Hudson River.

Just 16 minutes after takeoff, disaster struck.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the grieving loved ones.

In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “We have had devastating news about the helicopter accident in the River Hudson.

“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, lost their lives along with the pilot. It’s an unimaginable tragedy. I share the pain of the victims’ loved ones in this heartbreaking moment.”

Michael Roth, CEO of the helicopter tour company, said the aircraft had been leased from a Louisiana-based provider and admitted uncertainty over how it could have broken apart mid-air.

Roth disclosed that the helicopter had already run out of fuel just minutes into the journey and shared what the pilot said in his final radio message.

“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,” Roth told The Telegraph.

He added that he began receiving reports from other pilots flying over the Hudson, saying they saw the helicopter overturned in the water.

“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,” Roth shared.

The crash is currently under investigation, with the National Transportation Safety Board leading the inquiry.