Northern Ireland's richest man among four dead in helicopter crash

Lord Ballyedmond, the Northern Irish peer and businessman, died in a helicopter crash in Norkfolk.

16:42 14 March 2014

Northern Irish businessman Lord Ballyedmond, who has been heralded as Northern Ireland’s richest man, was one of the four men killed in a helicopter crash in Norkfolk.

The helicopter crashed in a wood in Gillingham close to Gillingham Hall. One of the factors being considered for the crash includes fog, which had affected the area earlier on Thursday evening.

Sky’s Emma Birchley reported: "The fog is certainly going to form part of the investigation. It was very foggy last night and it remains foggy now, which has made conditions for the emergency services very tricky.”

Following the news, several powerful people paid tribute to the Lord Ballyedmond, who has an estimated wealth of £500m. One of them was Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy, MP for Newry and Armagh, who said: "It's a huge tragedy for all of the families involved and it's something that, I think, will shock the workforce here (at Norbrook Laboratories) particularly the very substantial workforce that Eddie Haughey had in the Newry area.

"He certainly was a very strong-willed character. He established from nothing a very successful business."