NBC helicopter crash kills 'at least three' in fireball in busy LA street
Three people have been killed after a news helicopter crashed near a fatal bus accident in Los Angeles, officials have said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department has said another person has been taken to hospital in an unknown condition.
NBC4 Los Angeles confirmed the helicopter was one of its news aircraft and said earlier that it had lost contact with those on board.
An NBC4 LA anchor at the station confirmed during a live broadcast that the helicopter went down just before 7pm local time near a one-storey commercial building in the neighbourhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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Several news helicopters had been in the area at the time of the incident reporting on the bus crash.
Anchor Colleen Williams said: “We knew it was a news chopper, we knew we’d lost contact with our people out there, and we’ve just received the confirmation that, in fact, News Chopper 4 went down just before 7 o’clock tonight in Chatsworth.”
Becoming emotional, she continued: “We’re going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, to process and to regroup.”
Officials have confirmed that at least three people have died.
Fire Captain Branden Silverman told reporters that at least one of those who died appeared to be a pedestrian on the ground when the crash happened.
He said: "We do have one confirmed patient that seemed to be outside of the helicopter when it crashed.
"That person was declared deceased on scene."
Silverman added: "We're trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter."
He told reporters that the helicopter was ‘pretty well destroyed’ and said emergency teams would need to search through the wreckage to determine how many victims there were.
The fire department said four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged by the fire.
According to ABC 7, firefighters have since tackled the blaze but have remained at the scene.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass praised first responders and expressed her condolences to the victims.
“I’m absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight,” she said in a statement.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom also shared his condolences.
"Our hearts are with the victims and families of tonight's devastating Metro bus and helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, and with the entire NBC4 family,' he said in a statement.
"Thank you to the first responders working tirelessly tonight."
The Los Angeles Police Department Central Division shared a statement on X, saying it extended 'thoughts and prayers to the family, friends and colleagues of KNBC 4, Los Angeles'.
The cause of the helicopter crash is not yet know, and an investigation has been launched.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash.
Topics: US News
Claire Reid