Fears for Leicester City’s billionaire Thai chairman after helicopter crashes near stadium
- Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the chairman of the Leicester City, was on a helicopter that crashed outside the English Premier League soccer club’s King Power Stadium, the BBC reports
Leicester City’s charismatic Thai chairman was the subject of growing concerns on Sunday after a helicopter belonging to the billionaire crashed and burst into flames in the stadium carpark shortly after taking off from the club’s pitch.
There was no confirmation whether London-based Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who frequently flies to and from Leicester’s home games by helicopter, was on board the aircraft which appeared to develop mechanical problems.
Some reports citing sources confirmed he was on board, along with one of his daughters, but there was no word from Leicester City or from Thai officials of King Power, Vichai’s duty-free shopping empire.
Images showed smoke rising from the fiery wreckage in the carpark at King Power Stadium – the scene of unbridled jubilation after Leicester’s against-all-odds Premier League title victory in 2016.
Freelance photographer Ryan Brown, who was covering Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, told BBC Radio 5 Live that he saw the helicopter rise out of the stadium before it crashed.