A helicopter plunged into sand dunes near the Dutch port of Rotterdam in front of a large group of cyclists participating in a biking event yesterday, killing three of its passengers, according to police.
The helicopter was carrying three media photographers covering the event which was held in the run-up to the start of the Tour de France next Saturday.
Besides the pilot, an employee of the Rotterdam port was also on board.
“Three people died and two are seriously hurt and are in hospital. The cause of the crash is unknown,” a police spokesman said, adding that witnesses said they saw the helicopter simply fall to the ground.
All of the helicopter’s passengers were men, but it was not immediately clear who was killed in the crash.
