Oliver Tree listed among six killed in Brazil helicopter crash

Two helicopters collided in midair over Rio de Janeiro’s western zone, killing all six people aboard and sending one aircraft crashing into a car dealership parking lot in Recreio dos Bandeirantes. Police said U.S. singer Oliver Tree was on the passenger list handed to aviation authorities as Brazilian investigators began sorting through the wreckage and the body identification process.

The crash took place on Sunday, June 14, 2026, and left a scene of fire and shattered debris in one of the city’s busiest residential and commercial corridors. Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said the helicopter that came down in the dealership lot ignited several electric vehicles parked there before firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Witnesses described a loud explosion, and some reported seeing one helicopter in flames before impact. Local coverage said the fire spread quickly across the vehicle storage area, turning the crash site into a heavy emergency response zone as firefighters, police and aviation officials moved in.

Rio de Janeiro authorities said investigators were working to determine what caused the collision. The city’s Civil Police said the bodies had not been identified immediately after the crash, underscoring how quickly the investigation was moving before officials could confirm the full toll on the ground and in the air.

Tree’s name has drawn outsized attention because of his recent public appearances in Brazil and his touring schedule. Reports said he had performed in São Paulo on June 6 as part of a world tour that had taken him across more than 30 countries, and that his next show was scheduled for Lisbon on July 1. In recent days, his Instagram account had featured videos from Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere had earlier said foreign nationals were aboard one of the aircraft. Separate local reports identified Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim Díaz, known as Gaspi, as another person believed to have been on board.

The crash now places immediate focus on the sequence of the midair collision, the flight paths of both helicopters and the role of the pilots, as Brazilian investigators work to determine why two aircraft ended up on the same fatal trajectory over one of South America’s largest cities.