Helicopter crashes outside UK's Leicester City football club

555 A helicopter belonging to Leicester City football club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha crashed in a ball of flames in the club's car park on Saturday. It was not known whether Vichai, a father of four and the founder of duty-free giant King Power International, was in the helicopter which had taken off just moments before from the pitch, about an hour after the end of the game. Reports indicated that the helicopter only just cleared the roof of the stands, stayed in the air briefly and spiralled down to earth after reportedly developing a fault with its tail rotor. A huge fireball erupted and the air smelt of burning fuel in the hours after the crash. Emergency services rushed to the scene to tackle the fire and search the wreckage, with the area eventually cordoned off by Leicestershire police. It is understood that the helicopter fell outside a fence surrounding the stadium perimeter. However it crashed on land owned by the club, landing near car park E, which is used by Leicester's staff. It is unclear whether the helicopter landed on any objects or if any bystanders were injured by the crash. The areas around the stadium had largely emptied after the game. There was confusion outside as security personnel attempted to restore order and prevent members of the public from taking pictures and filming videos of the wreckage. Leicester police said they were dealing with an incident near the club's King Power Stadium and that emergency services were also at the scene. A spokesman for the club said: "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." Thai businessman, Srivaddhanaprabha, 60, who bought the east Midlands club in 2010, is normally flown back to London after games.

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