Northern Ireland peer and industrialist Lord Ballyedmond was one of four people killed in a helicopter crash in Norfolk, it has been confirmed.
The helicopter came down in a field near his stately home in Gillingham, near Beccles, on Thursday evening.
Lord Ballyedmond, who was one of Northern Ireland's richest men, and the three other people on board, all confirmed as male, died at the scene.
It is also understood that another man from County Down was on board.
It is not known what caused the crash but witnesses reported fog in the area at the time and said the helicopter came down very soon after taking off at about 19:30 GMT.
A spokesman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it would be sending a team to the area.
Limited investigationsThe Police Service of Northern Ireland has been contacted by Norfolk Police for assistance.
The helicopter has been confirmed as an Augusta Westland AW139.
Ch Insp Stuart Armes of Norfolk Police said the four bodies were still at the crash site.
"At this time we do not know when they will be recovered," he said. "We will remove them as soon as we are able to."
Mr Armes said the crash scene covered "a considerable area" and there were road closures in place in case of debris.
"It is very early to assess what's happened," he said. "Our primary objective is to establish the investigation and to support the family."
He said limited investigations had taken place in the dark and foggy conditions and officers were waiting for the fog to lift.
Tributes have been paid to Dr Edward Haughey, who became Lord Ballyedmond of Mourne when he was created a life peer in 2004.
He was a leading industrialist and owned veterinary pharmaceutical firm Norbrook Laboratories in Newry, County Down, and had a range of other business interests.
As well as being a member of the House of Lords, he was a former member of the Irish senate.
Tributes paidUlster Unionist peer Lord Reg Empey, who has known the Haughey family for 25 years, said: "Lord Ballyedmond was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland and indeed these islands.
"He brought high-quality employment opportunities to this country during its darkest days.
"This tragic accident has cut short the life of a man who had still much to give. The family circle will be numbed by the tragedy."
Ulster Unionist Stormont assembly member Danny Kennedy said he was stunned to hear of his death.
"He will be sadly missed throughout the business community in Northern Ireland and wider afield. I offer my deepest sympathies to Lady Mary and the children."
South Down SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie said he was unique.
"He was a major employer in the Co Down area and invested a lot of money.
"He got up and at it and he possessed those attributes required to make you a successful businessman but he also was a major employer and a lot of families had connections with him through that."
In December 1996 a helicopter owned by Lord Ballyedmond crashed on Carlingford Mountain in Ireland killing three people.
It was en route to his Rostrevor home.
Gillingham is a small village in the south of Norfolk with a population of about 650.
Norfolk Police said the crash site would remained cordoned off during the day while examinations of the scene were carried out.
The site of the crash is about 45 miles from where four crew members died when a US military helicopter crashed on a training mission in a nature reserve in Cley next the Sea, Norfolk, in January.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
NI peer among helicopter crash dead
Dengan url
http://gayabugarsehat.blogspot.com/2014/03/ni-peer-among-helicopter-crash-dead.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
NI peer among helicopter crash dead
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
NI peer among helicopter crash dead
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar