Spanish couple killed in helicopter crash were corporate aristocracy

The five Spanish passengers who died in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River were all part of a globetrotting family which had made its mark in the corporate world as well as having close ties to one of Europe's biggest football clubs.

Agustín Escobar and Mercè Camprubí Montal died with their three children, reported to be aged four, five and 11. The pilot of the helicopter also died.

The parents both worked for Siemens and the company sent its condolences, saying: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustín Escobar and his family died."

The five were taking a sightseeing ride over New York when the aircraft crashed.

Although the family were based in the Catalan city of Barcelona, Mr Escobar was originally from the industrial town of Puertollano in southern Spain.

He had recently taken up the post of CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, following a two-year stint as president and CEO of the German technology firm in Spain.

Mrs Camprubí Montal, a Barcelona native, also held a senior post at Siemens. She had been a global commercialisation manager with the company for just over three years at the time of her death.

She came from an influential family in the city known for textile manufacturing as well as its association with FC Barcelona, one of the biggest teams in world football.

Her great-grandfather, Agustí Montal Galobart, was president of the football club in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Her grandfather, Agustí Montal Costa, was also president, a tenure fondly remembered by fans for the arrival of the legendary Dutch player Johan Cruyff at the club in 1973.

Last year, Mrs Camprubí Montal's brother, Joan, emerged as a contender to compete for the presidency of FC Barcelona, although in recent weeks his candidacy has faded.

The careers of Mr Escobar and Mrs Camprubí Montal saw them travel extensively.

Recent posts by Mr Escobar on LinkedIn detail trips to the UK and India, and he described himself as being "passionate" about developing high-performing teams to "positively transform people and organisations".

A 27-year career at Siemens had taken him to postings in Latin America and the United States.

Juan Ignacio Díaz, a former colleague at Siemens, described him as "above all, a family man" in comments published by news site El Economista. "He was a loving, fun father, a really great guy."

Emiliano García-Page, president of the Castilla-La Mancha region, of which Mr Escobar was a native, said he was "deeply upset" by news of the deaths. Mr Escobar, he said, had been named a "favourite son" of the region.

According to Mrs Camprubí Montal's CV, she had been at Siemens for 16 years, also with postings in the United States and Latin America, before moving to the company's energy arm in 2018.

"I thrive in collaborative environments where I can leverage my international perspective," she wrote on her LinkedIn profile.