Crash claims singer's brother

2003-06-10 13:13

Marida Fitzpatrick

Johannesburg - The death of one of the victims of the weekend's helicopter crash in Mpumalanga sent shock waves through the local entertainment industry.

Click & Call managing director Jarren Koppel, one of the six people who died when the Cell C charter helicopter crashed in thick mist in the densely-wooded Panorama Gorge on Sunday, was the brother of well-known singer Danny K.

Former Miss South Africa Vanessa Carreira, who is a friend of the Koppel family, knew Koppel well and said he was a "fantastic young man. Everyone who knew him is still in shock and struggling to deal with it," Carreira said.

Koppel would have finished his overseas studies in accounting this year.

All six bodies recovered from the helicopter were flown to Pretoria on Monday night for an urgent post-mortem.

The dead include Cell C sales director Ruco Durand and his wife Yvette, Nashua Mobile managing director Simon Herbert and his wife Kelly, as well as Koppel. Helicopter pilot Louis Nel also died instantly.

The helicopter was one of three chartered by Cell C to fly its management team back from a workshop at the exclusive Earth Lodge in the Sabi Sabi private game reserve.

"All three choppers were on their way back to Johannesburg, but were doing a bit of sight-seeing along the way. They were scheduled to stop off in Graskop, but the accident prevented this," said Cell C acting communications director, Moira Sheridan.

The Durands leave two young children, a son and daughter aged two and four years, currently in the care of Ruco's brother, Albie.

- Beeld