Leicester City and its players have paid emotional tributes to owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha after the club confirmed he was among five people who died in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium.
The club issued a statement late on Sunday confirming Srivaddhanaprabha and four others were killed when the aircraft fell from the sky and burst into flames at the south east end of the King Power Stadium at about 8.30pm a day earlier.
It said the 60-year-old, who bought the club for £39 million in 2010 and led it to a first Premier League title in 2015-16 was a “great man”.
The club added: “It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium. None of the five people on-board survived.
“The primary thoughts of everyone at the club are with the Srivaddhanaprabha family and the families of all those on-board at this time of unspeakable loss.
“In Khun Vichai, the world has lost a great man. A man of kindness, of generosity and a man whose life was defined by the love he devoted to his family and those he so successfully led.
“Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we will grieve his passing and maintain the pursuit of a vision for the Club that is now his legacy.
“A book of condolence, which will be shared with the Srivaddhanaprabha family, will be opened at King Power Stadium from 8am on Tuesday 30 October for supporters wishing to pay their respects.”
Leicestershire Police said the others who died in the helicopter crash were Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, who were members of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s staff, as well as pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz.
Leicester City players took to social media to pay tribute to “the boss”.
Kasper Schmeichel, who captained Leicester on Saturday, said in a Twitter post: “I cannot believe this is happening. I am so totally devastated. I just cannot believe what I saw last night.
“It is difficult to put into words how much you have meant to this football club and the city of Leicester. We all know about the investment in the football club you and your family have made. But this is about so much more. You cared so deeply for the entire community. Your endless contribution to Leicester’s hospitals and charities will never be forgotten.”
He added: “We now have a responsibility as a club, as players and fans to honour you. From knowing you we do this by being the family you created. By sticking together and supporting those closest to you through (this) horrendous time.
“You will never know how much you meant to me and my family. I am truly honoured and privileged to have been a small part of your life.”
Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who scored the Foxes’ equaliser on Saturday, wrote on Twitter: “You were far too kind and supportive. Thank you for all you did for the club, for always encouraging the team and coming all the way to watch me play at the World Cup. Rest on sir.”
The club said an online book of condolence will be put on its website for supporters unable to visit the stadium to leave tributes.
It said Tuesday’s first team fixture against Southampton in the EFL Cup and the development squad fixture against Feyenoord in the Premier League International Cup had been postponed.
It added: “Everyone at the Club has been truly touched by the remarkable response of the football family, whose thoughtful messages of support and solidarity have been deeply appreciated at this difficult time.”
The force said formal identification had not been completed and no one else was believed to be injured.
Superintendent Steve Potter said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident in which five people are understood have lost their lives.
“Emergency services were immediately on scene when the crash happened, working to put out the fire and gain access to the helicopter in attempts to reach those inside. Despite those efforts, there were no survivors.
“The AAIB is now leading an investigation to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the crash and investigators will remain at the scene to complete their initial enquiries.
“It is likely to take several days to fully complete the necessary work and to safely deal with the scene of this tragic accident, during that time we ask that both the media and public resist speculating around the cause of the crash.
“Our thoughts today are with the families of those who have sadly died, with Leicester City Football Club, and with both football supporters and the wider local community who have all been impacted by the events of last night and the news that those on board the aircraft have not survived.”