The Thai owner of Leicester City, four others, were on board a helicopter: source

LEICESTER, England (Reuters) – Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, a Thai tycoon, was one of five players who were in a helicopter that crashed into a ball after a Premier League match on Saturday, said a source close to the club, announced a source close to the club. .

One of Vichai's two daughters, two pilots and a fifth person whose identity was not immediately known, was also found on board, the source said Sunday.

No information has been confirmed about the survival of people on board, the source said.

Vichai, father of four and founder of giant duty-free King Power International, is a big fan favorite after buying out the non-fictional side of central England in 2010 and then knocking out the world of football. winning the Premier League. title in 2016.

In Thailand, King Power officials said that they could not comment on the crash yet or say whether Vichai was on board when he escaped uncontrollable and crashed about an hour after the match. The club did not comment on this publicly.

The helicopter crashed a few meters from the parking lot of the club. The team's director, Claude Puel, was not on board the helicopter, the source said.

According to witnesses, the helicopter just crossed the top of the stadium before it began to skate. He then collapsed to the ground and caught fire.

John Butcher, who was near the stadium at the time of the accident, told the BBC that his nephew had seen the helicopter go wild, apparently because of a defective rear propeller.

"In a second, he fell like a rock on the ground … Fortunately, he spiraled for a little while and everyone ran, somehow scattered. As far as we know, no one around the parking lot has been caught in this problem. "

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After injecting millions of pounds into the club, Vichai helped bring Leicester back to the top of the standings in 2014 before surprising the sport by beating defenders such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to become champions of England.

According to Forbes magazine, it is the fifth richest person in Thailand with an estimated net worth of $ 4.9 billion.

Self-taught businessman Vichai founded royalty-free Thai giant King Power in 1989.

The duty-free activity gained momentum in 2006, with the monopoly of the airport under the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It continued to prosper even after Thaksin reversed the situation.

The family empire also includes the Belgian football club Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

The main Leicester players, including Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire, sent messages of support on Twitter, while rival clubs, including Manchester City, also voiced their concerns.

Freelance photographer Ryan Brown covered the match and saw the helicopter cross the stadium before his crash.

"The engine stopped and I turned around, which caused a roar," Brown told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It became silent, the blades started to spin and there was a big bang."

Leicester had played a home league match against West Ham United on Saturday, drawing 1-1.