Four people have survived a helicopter crash after the aircraft plunged into the ocean off Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana beach.
Amateur video captured the Fire Department helicopter splash-down after it suddenly lost altitude and dipped into the waves while trying to rescue a stranded swimmer on December 29.
Authorities said all four crew members walked away from the crash with only minor injuries.
A fire department helicopter went down off Copacabana, the famous beach in the southern section of Rio de Janeiro, as its crew tried to rescue a swimmer who was struggling to make it ashore, but no one was seriously injured, Brazilian officials said.
The accident occurred around 4:10 p.m. Saturday near the luxurious Copacabana Palace Hotel and was caused by an undetermined mechanical failure, the Rio de Janeiro state fire department press office said.
The aircraft sank off Brazil’s best-known beach and its four crewmen were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
