London: English Premier League club Leicester City have confirmed that their Thai billionaire owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, along with other four people on board, were killed when his helicopter crashed outside a stadium.
The club said in a statement Sunday night that Srivaddhanaprabha, two members of his staff, the pilot and a passenger were killed when the aircraft crashed at about 8.30 pm Saturday, in a parking lot next to the King Power Stadium in Leicester.
“It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium,” the statement read.
The statement described the chairman as ‘a man of kindness, of generosity and a man whose life was defined by the love he devoted to his family and those he so successfully led’. A book of condolences will be opened at the King Power Stadium, Tuesday, the club said.
Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter was a familiar sight at the Leicester Stadium, landing in the middle of the pitch to ferry its owner to and from home games.
The crash occurred about an hour after Leicester City drew 1-1 against West Ham United Saturday night. Witnesses said the helicopter had barely cleared the 25 metre high stadium walls before making a loud noise, crashing to the ground and igniting in a large fireball.