Investigators say they are looking into reports a large flock of birds was seen before a deadly helicopter crash in New York City.

The helicopter’s pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists, including three children, were killed in the crash in the Hudson river at around 3.17pm on Thursday.

Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive, and his wife Camprubi Montal had booked the helicopter tour to celebrate their eight-year-old child’s birthday.

A senior New York City official named the pilot as Sean Johnson to NBC New York. He was 36, according to the Jersey City Mayor’s office.

Giving an update on the investigation into the crash, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said no initial cause had been determined.

Asked about reports a large flock of birds was seen in the area shortly before the crash, she said: “We are aware of those reports, we discussed it this morning.

“It’s something we are looking into. What I would say to the public is that if something struck you as different or made you pause, or it crossed your mind that you might want to share with our investigators, there is no downside in sharing that information with us.”

Ms Homendy said divers are still recovering parts of the helicopter from the Hudson – and revealed the pilot had logged more than 780 hours of flight time.

Earlier, New York Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said divers had recovered all those on board from the helicopter, which was upside down in the water.

“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries,” she said.

The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the news “devastating”.

“An unimaginable tragedy. I share the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time,” he wrote on X.

Rotor blade ‘flew off’

The aircraft was on a tourist flight of Manhattan, run by the New York Helicopters company.

Witnesses described seeing the main rotor blade flying off moments before it dropped out of the sky.

Lesly Camacho, a worker at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, said she saw the helicopter spinning uncontrollably before it slammed into the water.

“There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard,” she said.

Another witness said “the chopper blade flew off”.

“I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped,” Avi Rakesh told Sky’s US partner, NBC News.

Video on social media showed parts of the Bell 206 helicopter tumbling through the air and landing in the river.

Mafalda Carvalho, from Brazil, told Sky News she took the “exact same helicopter tour” during a trip to New York just three weeks ago.

Seeing news of the crash, she said she felt “really emotional and reflective because the truth is we never know when it may be our turn… I saw the news that a whole family had lost their lives, it really made me stop and think”.

She added: “Helicopters in general aren’t the safest means of transport, right? There is always some level of risk. I enjoy, but it’s very dangerous. We never know when something might go wrong.”

The crash happened close to Pier 40 and the Holland tunnel, which links lower Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood with Jersey City to its west.

Tracking service Flight Radar 24 published what it said was the helicopter’s route, with the aircraft appearing to be in the sky for 15 minutes before the crash.

Thursday’s incident comes less than three months after 67 people died when an army helicopter and American Airlines jet collided over the Potomac River in Washington DC.

Donald Trump has had his annual medical check-up, although the US president has consistently chosen to keep basic facts about his health secret.

There is no guarantee the public will be told about the health of a man who, at the age of 78, was the oldest in US history to be sworn in as president.

“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Mr Trump posted on his social media site.

He will be examined at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Washington DC, but he will have leeway over what details are released.

If history is repeated, his latest physical examination is likely to produce a flattering report that is scarce on details.

It represents the first potential opportunity to discover the status of Mr Trump’s health since an assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July last year.

At that time, Ronny Jackson, a staunch supporter who served as his White House doctor, wrote a memo describing a gunshot wound to Mr Trump’s right ear. He once joked that the president could live to be 200 if he had a healthier diet.

Despite Mr Trump promising in a CBS interview last August that he would “very gladly” release his medical records, he never did.

During President Biden’s time in office, medical reports have typically included vital statistics like height, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol results, along with any medical symptoms. Other checks have included the vital organs and a neurological assessment.

Mr Trump has offered few details about his health over the years, despite repeatedly questioning the physical and mental capacity of his predecessor Mr Biden, who is three years older.

In 2020, President Trump contracted COVID-19. After his recovery, more details emerged that he had been sicker than he had let on.

In November 2023, Mr Trump’s doctor released a letter to coincide with Mr Biden’s 81st birthday, saying Mr Trump was in “excellent” physical and mental health.

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It said that his “physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional”, adding he had “reduced his weight”.

But there were a lot of details missing, including weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, or the results of any tests.

Trump takes anti-baldness pills

During his first term in office, his first medical check-up as president included details of his daily anti-baldness pills. But subsequent medical examinations were less transparent.

In November 2019, Mr Trump underwent a medical examination which was not revealed until three days later. He would only say it was a “very routine physical”.

A year later, an examination found he was technically obese and was taking medication to treat high cholesterol.

Before Mr Trump first ran for office in 2015, the results of a medical examination were described as “astonishingly excellent” by his personal doctor.

Dr Harold Bornstein stated at the time that Mr Trump would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”

The doctor later admitted to CNN that Mr Trump had dictated those words to him.

The head of the US military base in Greenland has been fired for criticising Washington’s agenda for the Arctic island.

Colonel Susan Meyers distanced herself from remarks made by vice president JD Vance when he visited the Pituffik base on 28 March.

Ms Meyers, commander of the 821st Space Base Group, emailed all base personnel on 31 March, days after Mr Vance’s visit, Military.com said.

She told them she “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit – the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you”.

“I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the US administration discussed by vice president Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”

The US Space Force said in a statement issued late on Thursday that commanders “are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining non-partisan in the performance of their duties”.

Mr Vance condemned Denmark’s oversight of the island and told Greenlanders they would be better off as part of the US.

US President Donald Trump has called for the territory to be absorbed by Washington, saying it is essential for both national and international security, and refusing to rule out using military force to acquire it.

As well as having staff from the US and Greenland, the base employs Danes and Canadians, according to Military.com.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X that actions which “subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defence”.

The dismissal of Ms Meyers, base commander since July, was welcomed by Republican senator Eric Schmitt, who praised the “quick action” of defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

Another Republican senator, Jim Banks, accused Colonel Meyers of trying to “politicise the Space Force”.

Greenland is a territory of Denmark, and while there is support for independence among Greenlanders, polls suggest there is little support for US annexation, just as there was little appetite for the visit of the vice president and his wife.

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Mr Vance criticised Denmark, claiming that incursions by China and Russia had put the territory at risk.

He told Copenhagen it had “not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security of this incredible, beautiful landmass”.

His remarks were widely condemned.