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Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner of Premier League football club Leicester City, has reportedly been involved in a fiery helicopter crash. The helicopter crashed around 8:38 p.m. local time outside the King Power Stadium after Leicester City’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United. The helicopter was reportedly owned by Srivaddhanaprabha.
Following the crash, Leicester police said in a statement: “We are dealing with an incident in the vicinity of the King Power Stadium. Emergency services are aware and dealing.”
Video from the scene showed a raging fire in what appears to be a parking lot near the stadium.
According to reports, Srivaddhanaprabha was on-board the eight-seater helicopter that was en-route to London. The helicopter failed upon take-off which resulted in a fire prior to a crash in the car park.
Leicester City Football Club released the following statement:
“We are assisting Leicestershire Police and the Emergency Services in dealing with a major incident at King Power Stadium.
The club will issue a more detailed statement once further information has been established.”
Under Srivaddhanaprabha’s ownership, the Leicester City Foxes won the 2015-16 Premier League title. Entering the season with 5000-to-1 odds to win the Premier League, Leicester’s shock triumph is considered one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of sports.
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Dead: Is Leicester City Owner Alive?
According to reports, Srivaddhanaprabha was on-board the eight-seater helicopter that was en-route to London. The helicopter failed upon take-off which resulted in a fire prior to a crash in the car park.
However, at this time, casualties are unknown.
Who Is Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha?
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, born Vichai Raksriaksorn, is a Thai billionaire businessman, founder, owner and chairman of King Power Duty-Free. He has been the owner of Premier League football club Leicester City since 2010.
What Happened?
A helicopter owned by Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha crashed and exploded into flames outside of King Power Stadium on Saturday, October 27, around 8:28 p.m.
According to reports, Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter failed upon take-off which started the fire that led to the crash.
“It just came out of the stadium already spinning, then down to the ground. Just in a spiral. It hit the ground with a big bang then burst into flames,” Leicester fan and season ticketholder Tim Acott told The Guardian. “It’s over on the other side of the car park, I don’t think there were people there. I’m shaking like anything.”
At this time, it is not clear what caused the helicopter to fail.
This story is developing. Please refresh for the latest updates and information.