Leicester City FC owner’s copter crashes outside stadium

Fans gathered outside King Power Stadium in Leicester after a helicopter belonging to Leicester City Football Club's owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha crashed and exploded outside of the stadium Saturday night. Photo by TIm Keeton/EPA

Oct. 28 (UPI) — Fans of Leicester City Football Club gathered at the team’s stadium after its owner’s helicopter crashed and exploded on Saturday night.

Leicester Police said they were working to determine whether the team’s owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was on the helicopter when it crashed outside the King Power Stadium in Leicester at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

“Emergency services are currently at the King Power Stadium where an aircraft came down in a car park behind the ground,” police said shortly after the crash. “Enquiries to establish the exact circumstances of the collision are ongoing.”

Witnesses said the helicopter barely cleared King Power Stadium’s 82-foot walls before making a loud noise, crashing in the parking lot and igniting a large fireball, CNN reported.

The crash occurred about an hour after Leicester City’s match against West Ham on Saturday night, as Srivaddhanaprabha, 61, would often leave the stadium in the helicopter after games to travel to his homes either in London or in Berkshire.

The number of people on the helicopter at the time of the crash wasn’t immediately known.

Fans gathered at the stadium and placed dozens of flowers and soccer jerseys on the ground in the wake of the crash.

Srivaddhanaprabha bought the team for $57 million in 2010. It was promoted to England’s Premier League in 2014 and won the league championship in 2016 despite 5000-1 odds.

He also donated millions of dollars to Leicester Royal Infirmary, and gave money to the University of Leicester throughout the time he has owned the team.

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