Leicester captain Kasper Schmeichel sheds tears at scene of tragic helicopter crash outside King Power
LEICESTER captain Kasper Schmeichel shed tears as he gazed at the blazing wreckage of his club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s stricken helicopter last night.
The Danish international joined stunned onlookers as red flames lit up the night sky above the King Power Stadium and police frantically tried to clear the area.
Around him a sense of panic, horror and confusion played out as police vans and an emergency response unit sped to the south west corner of the stadium.
Schmeichel like everyone around the rest of us appeared frozen in horror – numbed by the gravity of the scene unfolding around him as plumes of smoke and billowing flames marked the scene of the tragedy.
Shortly after 8.30pm rumours of the tragic accident began to sweep through the press room which had moments earlier been the venue for a routine press conference with West Ham’s Manuel Pellegrini, then Leicester City boss Claude Puel.
At first the assembled media tried to establish if the news was some kind of a sick hoax. Within seconds it became clear that, sadly, was not the case as sirens were heard and flashing blue lights were seen from the windows of the Leicester media room.
As reporters rushed outside, trying to establish what had happened stunned eye-witnesses spoke of seeing the helicopter spinning out of control and struggling to clear the top of the main stadium stand.
Tim Acott, a Leicester season ticket holder of 40 years, said: "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. It’s over on the other side of the car park, I don’t think there were people there. I’m shaking like anything."
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Amid the confusion Schmeichel was clearly overcome by emotion. He too seemed too stunned to do anything more than hope and pray there was some hope of survival.
Police then ordered all onlookers to get inside and four police horses started the job of pushing everyone back - politely but firmly.
There was no sense of panic, no hysteria – it was still sinking in the enormity of what was developing around us.
The sense of confusion was palpable. Who was in the helicopter, how could this happen?
Had the helicopter landed in a heavily populated staff car park or just outside it?
Staff stewards, receptionists, catering staff – many in tears – stood solemnly, visibly shaken by events.
In the pressroom journalists listened to Sky TV for updates as their reporter Rob Dorsett conveyed the news.
Then the first footage began to emerge of the burning wreck and it was hard to comprehend that just outside, a couple of hundred metres away, this was actually happening last night in Leicester – at the club the nation took to its hearts when it defied 5,000-1 odds to lift the Premier League title.
Leicestershire police said: “We are dealing with an incident in the vicinity of the King Power Stadium. Emergency services are aware and dealing.”
A Leciester statement added: "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."
Although there was no news of who was in the helicopter, it was understood City owner Srivaddhanaprabha attended yesterday’s match with family members.
However his son Aiyawatt was believed to be in Thailand and did not attend yesterday’s game.