Helicopter crashes in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil... All 5 people on board died

(Mexico City = Yonhap News) Correspondent Song Gwang-ho = A helicopter crashed in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, killing all five people on board.

According to the local daily Polha Sao Paulo on the 22nd (local time), fire authorities announced that they had discovered the remains of a helicopter that lost contact over the Urubici region that day in a mountainous area.

The helicopter in which the accident occurred took off from Porto Belo, a coastal area in the northern part of Santa Catarina Province, the day before, and lost contact while heading to the São Joacing area, where storms and other bad weather were forecast.

There were a total of five people on board, including Hic Solo (59), a member of the famous Brazilian duo “Hic and Hener.” Rique and Henner are one of Brazil's best-known sertanege music duos.

Sertanejo is a genre that originated in Brazil's inland rural areas and is equivalent to American country music or Korean trot.

Brazil's Civil Aviation Authority announced that the aircraft involved in the accident was a 2001 Bell 430 model and had been legally licensed for operation. Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.