Chinese vineyard owner dies in Bordeaux crash

A Chinese businessman, his 12-year-old son and two other people died in a helicopter crash as they toured Bordeaux vineyards he had recently purchased, French authorities said today.
Lam Kok, who headed Hong Kong-based company Brilliant Group, drew attention in the French media when he bought the chateau, one of a string of Chinese purchases of French vineyards in recent years.
Emergency workers have recovered the boy's body and most of the helicopter from the Dordogne River, but are still searching for the other victims, said Vincent Corbel of the regional gendarme service. He added that the reason for the Friday night crash is unclear.

The former owner of the Chateau de la Riviere vineyards, James Gregoire, owned the helicopter and appeared to have been piloting it, Corbel said. He added that the helicopter, a Robinson R44, had undergone maintenance checks two days before the crash.