An NBC news television helicopter crashed into a car park in Los Angeles on Tuesday, killing at least three people.
The helicopter crashed near a storage 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 to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A fourth person was taken to hospital, though their condition was unknown.
Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during a live broadcast that the station’s chopper went down just before 7 pm.
“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that and process it,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, coverage was abruptly cut off.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it was still working to determine how many of the victims had been on board the aircraft.
At least one person killed was on the ground outside, spokesperson Captain Branden Silverman told reporters.
"We're trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter," Silverman said.
The crash occurred near the scene of a separate deadly bus accident, though the connection between the two incidents, if any, was not immediately clear.
Photos and videos online showed around half of an SUV lodged into the side of an MTA bus and a large group of fire crew working around the crash.
Two people were reportedly killed and six others were injured after an SUV crashed into a city bus in Los Angeles, officials said.
According to the fire department, more than 50 firefighters responded to the helicopter crash. The fire had damaged four vehicles and two storage containers but was out by Tuesday evening, according to officials.
Silverman described the helicopter as “pretty well destroyed” and said they’re going to have to go through the rubble to see how many victims were on board.
According to media reports, the helicopter came down into a park serving a large single-storey building, striking or landing near several parked vehicles.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be handling the investigation.
