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Two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning and crashed in the Brazilian city’s western zone, killing all six people aboard, firefighters said.
Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said that one of the helicopters crashed on a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire that was extinguished.
Officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision.
Police said that American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was on the list of passengers handed to aviation authorities, but they have not been able to identify the bodies of those killed in the crash.
Tree performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital, on June 4, and published a video on his Instagram on Saturday showing him playing soccer in a Brazilian neighbourhood.
Tree was touring in support of his fourth album, Love You Madly, Hate You Badly, and had dozens of tour dates scheduled around the world for 2026, including an Aug. 7 show in Toronto.
Comedians Steve-O and producer Diplo were among those who paid tribute to the 32-year-old in social media posts.
“He was 1000% himself and on a mission to add more joy to this music scene,” wrote Diplo.
Argentine streaming channel Blender said that content creator Gaspar Prim Diaz — also known as Gaspi — was also in one of the helicopters.
Gaspi had more than 2.8 million followers on YouTube and was 23.
“Thanks for your art, your magic and your sensibility, every one of us will miss you,” Blender said on its X account.
Fernandes de Freitas, a tire repair worker, said he saw one of the helicopters in flames following the midair collision and noticed that one of the passengers jumped out of the other aircraft before it hit the ground.
“It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” de Freitas said.
