Leicester City owner\'s helicopter crashes

Leicester City owner's helicopter crashes

Leicester City football ground Image copyright Liam Hopkin / @hopkin_liam
Image caption A picture taken outside the King Power stadium this evening

The Leicester City owner's helicopter has crashed in a car park outside the club's ground shortly after taking off following a match.

It is not known if Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was in the helicopter at the time.

Leicester City had been playing West Ham United in the Premier League at their King Power stadium.

Pictures from the ground showed a large fire in the car park although it has been put out, according to reports.

Image copyright PA
Image caption Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, from Thailand, purchased the club in 2010

BBC football commentator Ian Stringer said the helicopter was "spiralling". He heard eyewitnesses say it "came down like a stone".

He said: "I've seen the backroom staff of the first team in tears, the reception area is silent with people just crying."

Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett said the helicopter took off from the pitch, as it does after every game.

He said that after a few seconds it appeared to lose control and crashed into the car park just a few hundred metres away.

One witness said it appeared "the tail propeller wasn't working, putting it into a spin".

Freelance photographer Ryan Brown was covering the game and saw the helicopter clear the King Power stadium before it crashed.

He told 5 Live: "Literally the engine stopped and I turned around, and it made a bit of a whirring noise.

"It turned silent, blades started spinning and then there was a big bang."

He said when he ran to the scene "there was a huge fireball" and it looked like the helicopter had crashed in an industrial park next to the stadium.

Image copyright Rex Features
Image caption Smoke coming from the crash site
Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The owner's helicopter (picture taken on previous date)

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