Helicopter carrying 'close friend of Neymar' and Rick Sollo goes missing in Brazil

Helicopter carrying 'close friend of Neymar' and Rick Sollo goes missing in Brazil A search and rescue operation is underway in Brazil as four people, including a famous musician, a businessman, a videographer, and the pilot, went missing at 4pm on Monday A helicopter has reportedly gone missing in Brazil with four people onboard, including a popular singer and a businessman close to football star Neymar. The chopper lost contact with air traffic control yesterday afternoon (September 21) during a storm after leaving Porto Belo in the southern state of Santa Catarina. It was heading for San Joaquim, some 175 miles south-west. The ongoing search for the seven-seater Bell 430 involving police, firefighters and the Brazilian Air Force is said to be focusing on the mountain municipality of Urubici. Officials have confirmed 59-year-old Rick Sollo, a famous singer, songwriter and producer from country duo Rick & Renner was on board. The other two passengers have been named as Bruno Avelar, an entrepreneur involved in bringing together business people and sports and entertainment stars, and video maker Paulo Soares. The fourth person on board, the pilot, has not been named. The alarm was raised around 4pm local time as the area where the helicopter vanished in was being battered by rain and strong winds and a hail alert had been sounded. Firefighters and other search and rescue teams are understood to be working off the last-known location of one of the crew members’ mobile phones. Rick, whose birth name is Geraldo Antonio de Carvalho, started working with Renner Reis in 1986 and they recorded their first album in 1991. The pair have sold more than 10 million records during their career, performing an average of 150 concerts a year. Renner, born Ivair dos Reis Gonçalves, was injured in a 2001 accident which claimed the lives of two people on a motorbike and was later found guilty of manslaughter. Last night he asked fans to prey for his friend, saying in a social media post: “In this moment of anguish and uncertainty, we join together in positive thoughts and prayers for the search for the helicopter that was carrying Rick. “May the search teams have strength and wisdom, and may good news arrive as soon as possible. Let us keep our faith and hope. May God protect Rick and everyone involved. We ask everyone to join us in prayer at this time." Rick’s cousin Manoel Filho Martins admitted: “Everyone is worried.” Helicopter owner JTA Emprendimientos e Urbanismo confirmed in a statement: “JTA reports that its helicopter, loaned for use by Bruno Avelar and the singer Rick, close friends of the company’s owner, is currently missing. There is still no confirmation of an accident involving the aircraft. The information is being verified with the relevant authorities. “JTA emphasizes that, at this time, any information that has not been officially confirmed should be treated as unverified. We ask for caution when disseminating and sharing news or speculation about the case. As soon as there is new official information, JTA will make the appropriate announcement.” Avelar, a 41-year-old businessman, speaker and influencer, is regarded as a networking specialist in his native Brazil. The dad-of-two from Belo Horizonte, the capital city of the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, is understood to have worked in the UK as well as Portugal and Spain and lived in the States with his family. He serves as the official host of the Neymar Jr. Institute’s charity auctions according to local media reports and has a close relationship with the footballer.