American singer Oliver Tree, YouTuber Gaspi among 6 killed in Brazil helicopter crash

A mid-air collision between two helicopters in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil killed six people on Sunday, including American singer Oliver Tree Nickell and Argentinian YouTuber Gaspar Prim, according to local media.

The crash occurred around 1159GMT in the southwestern neighborhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Globo News reported.

The victims included US singer-songwriter and producer Nickell and Prim, widely known as “Gaspi,” who had 2.8 million subscribers. Also identified among the deceased were Argentinian music video director Lucas Vignale and Brazilian music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, known as “Lucas Frota,” along with two pilots.

A spokesperson for the RJ Fire Department had earlier confirmed that no one on board survived.

One of the aircraft exploded upon impact near a parking lot containing electric vehicles, triggering secondary blasts and a column of smoke visible from miles away. The second aircraft landed upside down without catching fire.

Debris from the wreckage scattered across a radius of at least 100 meters, with portions of the fuselage landing on the terraces of neighboring buildings.