Grieving kin of the family killed in the Hudson River helicopter crash say they are taking solace in the fact that their loved ones “passed away together’’ in the “sweetest moment of their lives.’’
“There are no words to describe what we are experiencing, nor to thank you for the warmth received,” said a letter posted on X by Joan Camprubí Montal on Friday.
“These are very difficult times, but optimism and joy have always characterized our family,” said the statement, which was signed by 19 Escobar and Camprubí Montal family members. “We want to preserve the memory of a happy and united family, in the sweetest moment of their lives.
The family added that it takes solace in knowing they “have passed away together.”
Camprubí Montal’s sister, Mercè Camprubí Montal, her husband, Agustin Escobar, and their three young kids — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4 — were killed along with their pilot when their chopper fell apart midair Thursday before crashing into the Hudson River near Jersey City.
The family was visiting from Spain and getting ready to celebrate Mercedes’ ninth birthday Friday. The family also was celebrating mom Merce’s 40th birthday, law-enforcement sources said.
The family left an “indelible mark among all their relatives, friends and acquaintances,” the letter said.
Alongside the statement, the mourning uncle also shared a photo of the beaming family in Times Square.
Escobar — who was a CEO at Siemens — was in the US on business, and the family flew in from Barcelona to turn the trip into a mini-vacation, officials said this week.
About 25 minutes into a New York Helicopter tour piloted by Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, the tail and rotors of the chopper broke off, and the craft plunged into the chilly waters below, killing all six on board.
The cause of the tragedy will take “quite some time” to determine, officials said Friday.
Relatives of Escobar and Camprubí Montal arrived in New York City on Friday to begin the process of repatriating the bodies back to Spain, they said in their statement.
In the coming days, they will share details for a “farewell ceremony” for their loved ones.
“In the meantime, we ask for the utmost respect for privacy, given the global impact of this tragedy and the involvement of the three minors,” they added.
Mercè’s brother was once in the running to continue their family’s history of leading the famed FC Barcelona, one of the world’s biggest and richest soccer clubs. Camprubí Montal pulled out of the race last year, according to reports.
“The Escobar-Camprubís will always be among us, with their joy and vitality,” he wrote in his post on X Friday.
