Investigators are working to discover more details about Saturday night’s helicopter crash outside Leicester City’s football stadium, in which the club’s owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and four other passengers died.

Vichai, who bought Leicester for £39m in 2010, boarded the flight after watching his team’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United in the Premier League. The Thai billionaire’s helicopter took off from the pitch at around 8.30pm and erupted in flames after crashing in an empty car park near the south-east corner of the King Power Stadium.

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There were no other casualties on the ground when the helicopter crashed.

Leicestershire police have named the other four passengers as Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, both members of Vichai’s staff, pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz.

Vichai, who has two sons and two daughters, was due to fly to Luton Airport before taking a private jet back to Thailand. The 60-year-old was a hugely popular figure with Leicester supporters, having provided the backing that saw them win their first ever Premier League title in 2016.

Eyewitnesses said that the Augusta AW169 helicopter struggled to clear the roof of the stadium and spiralled to ground after developing a fault around an hour after the end of the game. The emergency services rushed to the scene to tackle a huge fire and members of the public travelled to the stadium to leave tributes on Sunday.



It has been suggested by sources that Jon Rudkin, Leicester’s director of football, was supposed to be on the flight but stayed in Leicester.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in November 2016. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Leicester’s vice-chairman and Vichai’s son, flew to the United Kingdom from Thailand on Sunday. Leicestershire police pleaded for patience from the public as crash investigators took control of the site.

The exact circumstances of the crash remain unclear, with footage of the incident yet to be released. Eyewitnesses said that the helicopter fell shortly after taking flight. It was said to have spun out of control before landing outside a fence surrounding the stadium perimeter. It crashed on land owned by the club, landing near car park E, which is used by Leicester’s staff. The site was empty at the time.

The tragedy has rocked the city, with supporters flocking to the stadium to pay their respects on Sunday. Police cordoned off the south-east corner of the stadium, preventing access to the crash site.

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Chaos and confusion had reigned during the initial aftermath of the accident. Onlookers walked away from the scene in obvious distress and Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester’s goalkeeper, was seen in tears outside the ground. Schmeichel, who had a close relationship with Vichai, did not leave the stadium until late on Saturday night.

Leicester’s home game against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, which was due to take place on Tuesday, has been postponed to a later date

Martin George, a former Leicester chairman, said: “I’d just the left the ground and got in my car, there was an awful queue so I could tell something wasn’t right. I got a call from a friend to say what had happened. We’ve had administrations, we’ve had relegations, we’ve had all sorts of things, but nothing like this.

“Vichai has been terrific for this club. He is a very good gentleman, sportsman. Not just with football, but polo, and horse racing. You couldn’t ask for anybody better to be in charge of this club.

“He enjoyed the company of people who had like minds, talked quite happily with them. But of course he had an iron will as well, to have his success you’d have to. I came today to talk to the directors, express my feelings. I’ve been upstairs to speak to them and had a walk round. This is the last thing you’d expect.”

The investigation into the crash will take several days, police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon. “We understand there is a considerable amount of public and media interest into the helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium last night. News of the crash, which happened in a car park near the stadium just after 8.30pm, has had an impact on many people and we appreciate there is a clear desire for updates and clarity around the circumstances.

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“Leicestershire police, East Midlands ambulance service and Leicestershire fire and rescue service all responded to the incident last night and inquiries continue at the scene today, led by the air accidents investigation branch. These enquiries are expected to continue over the coming days. As soon as we are able to confirm any further details around the incident, we will do so. In the interim we ask that you are patient, understanding and resist speculating on the detail and the circumstances.”

The crash was witnessed by a number of stunned fans. Tim Acott, a Leicester season ticket holder for 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.”

Players in Premier League matches on Sunday wore black armbands as a mark of respect and minute’s silences were held before many games. The Leicester manager, Claude Puel, spoke of his sadness at the news. “It’s a tragedy for the club,” he said. “I think very strongly about the victims and their families … I’m terribly sad.”

Throughout Sunday fans arrived at the ground to pay tribute, leaving flowers, scarves and football shirts. Not all were Leicester fans. A Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter laid down his club’s shirt that read: “Divided by colours, united by grief.”