Mum and daughter among four people missing after helicopter 'vanishes in fog'

02 January 2024 , 16:14

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Mum and daughter among four people missing after helicopter 'vanishes in fog'

Four people are missing, including a mother and her 20-year-old daughter after the helicopter they were in dropped off the radar.

The New Year’s Eve flight saw passenger Letícia Ayumi Rodzewics Sakumoto send a video to her boyfriend, showing the terrible conditions outside. The clip shows thick fog and poor visibility during the pleasure trip which took off from Campo de Marte Airport in São Paulo, where Luciana and Letícia live, around 1:15 pm.

Aboard the aircraft were Ms Ayumi Rodzewics Sakumoto along with her mother Luciana Rodzewics, 45, family friend Rafael Torres, and the pilot, who has not been named.

Luciana Rodzewics with her daughter Letícia Ayumi Rodzewics Sakumoto, both missing after their helicopter vanished (Jam Press)

The two women had been invited by Torres, a friend of the pilot, on a day trip to the popular tourist destination of Ilhabela on 31 December. The island is popular with revellers seeing in the new year.

The video is the last contact Ms Ayumi Rodzewics Sakumoto had with the outside world. Mrs Rodzewics’ mother Neuza Maria Rodzewics, told local media: “My granddaughter sent a message to her boyfriend, saying they were trying to return because it was impossible to land.

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“It was raining heavily, with a lot of fog. This was around 2:35 pm, it was the last contact. We have no more news.”

The last contact with air traffic control was made as the Robinson R44 flew over Caraguatatuba at 3:10 pm. The area being searched is covered in dense forest.

William McGee