The richest man in the Czech Republic Petr Kellner has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska

The richest man in the Czech Republic Petr Kellner has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska

The richest man in the Czech Republic Petr Kellner has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska

Prague : The richest man in the Czech Republic, Petr Kellner, has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska, his PPF fund said on Monday. He was 56 years old.

The PPF said five people had died in the crash, and their condition was being investigated.

"We declare with great sadness that, in a helicopter crash in the mountains of Alaska on Saturday, March 27, the founder and owner of the PPF party, Mr Petr Kellner, has died tragically," the PPF said in a statement.

Kellner was a prominent businessman in the pre-Czech era, with his fortune estimated at $ 17.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis conveyed his condolences to the family. "It's an unbelievable tragedy. I'm so sorry," Babis said on Twitter.

The richest man in the Czech Republic Petr Kellner has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska

The richest man in the Czech Republic Petr Kellner has been killed in a helicopter crash in Alaska

Kellner's roots go back to the 1990s when he founded PPF as an investment company with partners who would participate in the country's plans to provide hundreds of state-owned companies.

In the mid-1990s, the PPF participated in the former national insurance policy Ceska Pojistovna, which is the basis for continued growth.

PPF has continued to grow financially, telecommunications, manufacturing, media or biotech in start-up businesses in Europe, Asia and the United States. PPF assets reached 44 billion euros ($ 51.8 billion) by 2020.

PPF is a leading proprietor of home lending lenders, which has grown in China and other parts of Southeast Asia and a group of communications firms in central and eastern Europe including the O2 Czech Republic.

His death came at a time when PPF was acquiring a stake in the Czech bank MonETA Money Bank and proposing to merge with his Air Bank and Czech and Slovak assets for Home Credit. PPF communications infrastructure company Cetin also said it was looking at donating to the community and other avenues.

PPF ended the acquisition of Central European Media Enterprises, a group of television stations in central and eastern Europe, last year.

Kellner avoided public attention but was known as a skier. PPF published a photo of him driving in the snow in one of the annual reports.

Alaska State Troopers on Sunday said five people, including Kellner, had been killed and one injured in a helicopter crash near Knik Glacier northeast of Anchorage.

The helicopter was transporting passengers who were on their way back to the country, the military said. Reuters