Horror as helicopter crashes and bursts into flames near scene of deadly bus crash in Los Angeles
At least one person has been killed after a news helicopter crashed between two buildings near the scene of a deadly bus collision in Los Angeles.
The aircraft came down near the intersection of Northoff Street and DeSoto Avenue in Chatsworth just before 7pm on Tuesday, near where an SUV crashed into a bus earlier in the night. Two people had been killed in the bus crash, while six others were left injured.
The chopper appears to have landed on top of two shipping containers and several vehicles that were parked in the area, CBS News reports.
The helicopter crash caused a massive blaze, with the Los Angeles Fire Department saying the flames threatened four vehicles nearby.
When firefighters finished extinguishing the fire, they were seen erecting a canopy over at least one body.
LA Fire Department spokesman Brandon Silverman has since confirmed to NBC 4 Los Angeles that at least one person on the ground at the time of the crash has died.
The cause of the crash remains unclear, and it has not yet been determined who was operating the helicopter or where it had come from.
But NBC 4 Los Angeles confirmed that the chopper was a ‘television news helicopter,’ noting: ‘We are not in contact with our television news helicopter.
A helicopter has crashed near the scene of a bus collision in Los Angeles, sparking a massive blaze that threatened four vehicles nearby
The helicopter came down near the intersection of Northoff Street and DeSoto Avenue in Chatsworth just before 7pm on Tuesday
Firefighters are pictured responding to the helicopter crash on Tuesday evening
The crash came as local media outlets rushed to get aerial footage of the fatal bus crash, showing people running away from the scene as police cruisers sped toward the fiery explosion.
The bus crash occurred at around 5pm, killing three people at the scene while others were rushed to local hospitals. The extent of the victims’ injuries remains unclear.
But an LA Urban Search and Rescue Team was seen extricating multiple people from the bus, with at least one person found stuck underneath the vehicle, KTLA reports.
Soon after the bus crash, images emerged showing the front half of the SUV embedded in the side of the Metro bus.
When the vehicle was then removed, a gaping hole was visible in the bus’s side, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At the height of the response, there were 56 Fire Department personnel on scene, spokesperson Jennifer Middleton told the LA Times.
The intersection where the two fatal crashes occurred will now be closed for ‘quite some time,’ she noted.
Firefighters are seen extinguishing a blaze in the aftermath of the helicopter crash
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
