JULY 29, 2001

Close call for Joao Paolo Diniz

PEDRO PAOLO DINIZ's brother Joao had a lucky escape on Saturday when the helicopter in which he was travelling crashed into the sea off the Brazilian coastline.

PEDRO PAOLO DINIZ's brother Joao had a lucky escape on Saturday when the helicopter in which he was travelling crashed into the sea off the Brazilian coastline. Diniz and the co-pilot of the chopper were able to swim three kilometers to safety but his girlfriend and the pilot of the chopper did not survive the crash.

The crash is the latest in a series of misfortunes to hit the family - one of Brazil's richest. These have included a series of attempted kidnappings.