A video posted to social media platforms showed the exact moment when a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, killing all six on board, including three children. The chopper can be seen plummeting from the sky directly into the river. 

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The "tragic crash" killed all those onboard the aircraft: the pilot and a family from Spain. Two of the victims were initially taken to a hospital but later succumbed to their injuries.

"At this time, all six victims have been removed from the water. And sadly, all six victims have been pronounced deceased," Mayor Eric Adams said at a briefing. He earlier called it a "heartbreaking and tragic crash". 

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United States President Donald Trump called the crash "terrible". While expressing his condolences on the social media platform Truth Social, he wrote that the "footage of the accident is horrendous". 

"God bless the families and friends of the victims," he added. 

The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned in a statement that it was a Bell 206 helicopter, a model widely used in commercial and government aviation, including by sightseeing companies. 

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The helicopter was operated by a firm called New York Helicopters. The aircraft took off from the Wall Street heliport at 2:59 pm (local time ) and crashed within minutes near Lower Manhattan. 

Videos showed the overturned aircraft was submerged in the river. The rescue boats were circling it near the end of a long maintenance pier for a ventilation tower serving the Holland Tunnel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. 

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Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media. 

VIDEO: Trigger warning, sensitive content

How exactly it crashed, watch it here:  

'No pilot could have prevented that accident'

As quoted by The Associated Press, Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps, said that the video of the crash suggested that a "catastrophic mechanical failure" left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter. 

He said that it is possible the helicopter's main rotors struck the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free-fall. 

"They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened. There's no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It's like a rock falling to the ground. It's heartbreaking," Green added. 

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(With inputs from agencies)