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Four killed in sightseeing helicopter crash near Rio de Janeiro; cause undetermined

Colombian influencer Sofia Murillo, two relatives and the pilot died when a four-seat helicopter came down near the Vista Chinesa outlook, according to reporting by four outlets.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 10, 2026, 12:40 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 11, 2026, 8:39 p.m. ET
A four-seat sightseeing helicopter crashed near , , at about on 8 August, according to reporting by Hola, Us Weekly, the Hindustan Times and the Daily Mail. The outlets disagree on the year: the Daily Mail, Us Weekly and Hola dated the crash 8 August 2025, while Us Weekly elsewhere dated it 8 August 2026. The time was given as by the Daily Mail and Hola, as by Us Weekly and as by the Hindustan Times. Hola and Us Weekly reported people were killed; Us Weekly reported people were on board. Reporting on the crash is still incomplete. The outlets reported that those killed included 17-year-old Colombian influencer Sofia Murillo, her mother Wendy Manrique, 37, and her grandmother Rocio Cubillos, 59, and that the pilot, Alessandro Rocha, also died. According to the reporting, the family had booked a 20-minute scenic flight to see the Christ the Redeemer statue, and three other family members — Murillo's uncle Victor Manrique, his wife and daughter — stayed behind in the hangar to take the next helicopter. Murillo was from Bogota, Colombia, and had more than 208,000 TikTok followers, according to the same reporting. The operator's name is given differently by the sources: the Daily Mail, Us Weekly, Hola and the Hindustan Times named it , while Us Weekly elsewhere called it . According to the reporting, the helicopter came down in a heavily wooded area near the Vista Chinesa outlook and exploded, and the burning fuel started a fire on the wooded hillside that was controlled by military personnel and has since been extinguished. The fire department responded to the wreckage at 11: and said 40 military vehicles, 11 vehicles and operational units took part in the recovery operation. Rescue teams said access was difficult because of the steep, wooded terrain with precipitous cliffs, requiring rope techniques. The cause has not been determined; the Hindustan Times reported that Accounts of who is investigating differ: Hola reported that 's Civil Police and 's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa) have opened investigations, and Us Weekly, citing CNN Brasil, reported that those two bodies had opened a formal investigation into the cause; Us Weekly elsewhere reported that 's Civil Police and the Brazilian Air Force had opened investigations. 's National Civil Aviation Agency said the helicopter held a valid certificate and was authorized for sightseeing flights. A lawyer for said the company had all necessary permits, the pilot was licensed and aircraft maintenance was up to date. A camera that was recording the cabin during the flight was recovered by firefighters and handed to investigators, according to the reporting. The aircraft has not been identified in the available material. Weather observations recorded at Santos Dumont Airport (SBRJ), about 3 miles away, at the time gave wind from 360° at 6 knots, visibility 5.59 statute miles, no significant cloud and 73°F. That is an instrument reading at a nearby field and is not a statement by any authority about what happened. The investigation remains open.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
20 ft
Nearest aerodrome
2.9 miles SE of Fiocruz Heliport (BR-1470)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 612 Aug 2026, 00:39current

    Noted the conflict in the operator's name (Voo Rio Panorâmico vs Voo Panorâmico) with attribution to each outlet.

  2. Version 512 Aug 2026, 00:14

    Added Hindustan Times attribution for the time and for the statement that authorities have not yet determined the cause.

  3. Version 411 Aug 2026, 02:48

    Date now reported as a sourced conflict (2025 vs 2026) rather than settled; added souls on board, recovery-operation vehicle figures, the named relatives who waited in the hangar, and CNN Brasil's attribution for the formal investigation.

  4. Version 311 Aug 2026, 00:48

    Added Hola's four-fatality figure, the conflict over which bodies opened investigations, the fire department's 11:11 a.m. response and the operator's lawyer's statement on the pilot's licence and maintenance.

  5. Version 211 Aug 2026, 00:46

    Added Us Weekly reporting: four-seat helicopter, crash site near the Vista Chinesa outlook and resulting hillside fire, three relatives awaiting a second aircraft, difficult terrain for rescuers, and the named investigating bodies including Cenipa.

  6. Version 111 Aug 2026, 00:19

    First published.

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