Tourist helicopter crash near Rio de Janeiro kills four, including pilot and three Colombian tourists

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — A tourist helicopter crashed in a mountainous, forested area of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, killing all four people on board, including the pilot. The aircraft went down inside the Tijuca National Park near a lookout point known as the Chinese Telescope, a popular stop for visitors, and burst into flames on impact. Among the dead were three Colombian women tourists from the same family, according to Colombian Consul General Diana Baez, who told AFP the travelers were a grandmother, an aunt and a cousin who had come to Rio to celebrate a family birthday. Baez said the group had been split in two because they could not all fit in the same helicopter. Firefighters dispatched to the scene were hampered by the steep terrain. They recovered four bodies that had been completely burned and extinguished a small forest fire sparked by the crash. Following the accident, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavalieri called for tighter oversight of tourist helicopter flights, citing safety concerns linked to the growing number of such operations in the city. No further details on the cause of the crash were immediately available.