Many are still coming to terms with the shocking death of billionaire coal magnate Chris Cline in the Bahamas. Cline was one of seven on board a helicopter leaving an island he had purchased in the Bahamas, heading back to the mainland due to a medical involving his daughter.
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Cline’s daughter also perished in the crash along with a number of her friends and two pilots. The 22-year-old had just graduated from college ahead of the trip to the Caribbean island.
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Many have shared their thoughts and prayers for the late billionaire, including President Trump and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice. But a heartbreaking aspect of the loss comes from those who worked for Cline in the Bahamas and saw the horror right in front of them according to The Daily Mail.
Mathien McIntosh, a Bahamian man who worked for the billionaire, shared the details of what he witnessed from the crash and the horrifying moments when he saw his boss’ body being removed from the water.
“Mr. Cline actually…was one of the first ones that came out,” McIntosh said. “Just then, a kid came out. It was four kids and they were about 19 to 21 years of age, kids in their prime. They had just graduated from college and came home to have fun and then boom; here today and gone tomorrow. It’s life.”
Friends say Kameron Cline, 22 suffered a medical emergency at her father Chris Cline’s birthday bash on his Bahamian island – prompting Cline to put his daughter, 3 of her friends & 2 pilots on his helicopter to rush to a hospital. The chopper crashed two miles out, killing all 7 pic.twitter.com/QhX9Mq1IeW
— Terri Parker (@wpbf_terri) July 5, 2019
McIntosh said he and a relative on the island watched the helicopter land and take off, recounting that it took off and “didn’t get very high” before crashing into the Atlantic five minutes later.
“The light just disappeared and it was a loud crash. It was a loud bang in the water,” McIntosh said about the incident. “We jumped in our boats and we went searching. It was about 2:30 a.m. and we went searching…”
Page Six adds that the tycoon was rushing his daughter to Florida due to an unspecified medical issue while on her father’s private island. Relatives called authorities after the chopper never made it to Fort Lauderdale, with the wreckage later being discovered two miles off the cost of the island.
There is no cause of the crash yet and meteorologists have noted that the weather in the area was not a factor in the crash.
Cline is known for his philanthropy in his home state of West Virginia and his donations to political campaigns. He was a major donor to President Trump’s inaugural committee and also supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 campaign.
The billionaire is also well known as the ex-lover of Tiger Wood’s former wife Elin Nordegren. The pair had a rocky relationship when they started dating in 2013.
Photo credit: YouTube / Marshall U
