Tourists among six dead after helicopters crash in mid-air fireball explosion over Rio De Janeiro

This is the shocking moment two helicopters crash in mid-air and smash into cars, triggering a chain of explosions.

All six people on board the aircraft were killed in the collision on Sunday at 8am local time in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

The flaming wreckage of the helicopters smashed into an abandoned churchyard, and the other plunged into a car park.

Flames spread through parked electric vehicles, causing more explosions.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said that there were ‘foreign nationals on board one of the aircraft,’ without giving further details.

Fire services spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil at the scene that it was unclear exactly how they collided.

‘Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary.

‘We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened,’ he said.

Contreiras said rescue workers had discovered one helicopter in flames among the electric cars, with five victims inside.

Firefighters working at the site of a helicopter crash in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighbourhood (Picture: AFP)

The second helicopter, found some 100 meters away, was carrying only the pilot, who also died.

Contreiras said the fact that the aircraft had crashed in the parking area had prevented a higher death toll.

‘Given the surrounding residences, the accident could have been far more tragic,’ he said.

He highlighted the challenges in fighting a fire impacting electric vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries.

‘When this type of battery catches fire, it releases highly toxic gases and intensifies both the temperature and the severity of the blaze. Extinguishing a fire in one of these vehicles requires three to four times the amount of water needed for a fire in a standard car.’

At least six people died after two helicopters crashed in a mid-air collision, firefighters said. (Photo by Tercio TEIXEIRA / AFP via Getty Images)

Authorities said in a statement: ‘The Brazilian Air Force were called to carry out the initial action of the occurrence involving two aircraft, registration PP-MAC and PR-DJJ, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the Southwest Zone of Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

‘During the initial action, qualified and accredited professionals apply specific techniques for data collection and confirmation, preservation of elements, initial verification of damage caused to the aircraft or by the aircraft, in addition to the collection of other information necessary for the investigation.’

According to statistics from the Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) — not including this latest collision — there have been 84 aircraft accidents in 2026 so far, leaving 25 people dead.

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