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News helicopter crashes in Los Angeles while covering SUV-bus collision, 3 killed
Three people were killed after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles while covering a deadly SUV-bus collision. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Three people were killed and another was injured after a news helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a Los Angeles neighbourhood on Tuesday night while covering a deadly SUV-bus collision, local media reported. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
The helicopter, which belonged to NBC Los Angeles, crashed around 6:57 pm (local time) between two commercial buildings in Chatsworth, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said. Firefighters found the chopper and nearby vehicles engulfed in flames.
The LAFD said three people were pronounced dead at the scene and a fourth person was taken to a local hospital. The identities of those killed have not been released.
Local media reports said the helicopter came down on a highway between two warehouses, landing on or near shipping containers and several parked vehicles. A nearby pickup truck also caught fire, while the warehouse buildings themselves were not hit.
An LAFD spokesperson earlier said at least one of those killed appeared to have been a pedestrian in the parking lot.
NBC Los Angeles (KNBC-TV) reported that its news helicopter lost contact with the station while it was covering the crash of an SUV and a Metro bus nearby.
The station's live stream showed the helicopter slowly descending towards the ground before the feed was cut off, local media reported. NBC LA anchors later said they were having difficulty contacting their colleagues.
Several television news helicopters were in the area covering the earlier collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate the incident.
Earlier on Tuesday, three people were killed and six others injured when an SUV crashed into a Metro bus in Chatsworth.
According to Los Angeles Metro, a Line 166 bus was travelling eastbound around 5:02 pm when it was struck by an SUV travelling southbound, local media reported.
The impact left the SUV lodged in the side of the bus, trapping passengers inside. Multiple people were extricated by first responders, while one person was found beneath the vehicle, according to local media reports.
The injured were taken to a local hospital. Their conditions were not immediately available.
At the height of the emergency response, 56 LAFD personnel were at the scene, according to the department. The intersection was expected to remain closed for some time.