An NBC news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, claiming at least three lives. The incident took place near a storage building in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley while news teams were covering a bus accident that left two dead and six others injured.
Details of the Incident
According to reports from the Los Angeles Fire Department, a fourth person was also transported to the hospital, and their condition is unknown. Colleen Williams, NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during a live broadcast that the station's helicopter crashed just before 7 PM. She said with a trembling voice, “We’re going to take a few minutes to process this.”
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Efforts to Identify the Victims
The Los Angeles Fire Department stated that they are still investigating the number of victims on the helicopter. Brandon Silverman, a spokesperson for the fire department, told reporters, “We are trying to determine how many people were inside the helicopter.” According to him, at least one person who lost their life was outside the helicopter.
The incident occurred near the site of the fatal bus accident, but the connection between the two incidents was initially unclear. Images released online show half of an SUV colliding with an MTA bus, with a large group of firefighters working at the scene.
The fire department reported that more than 50 firefighters were dispatched to the helicopter crash site. The incident damaged four vehicles and two storage containers, but the fire was extinguished by Tuesday evening. Silverman described the helicopter as “completely destroyed” and added that they need to sift through the debris to determine the number of victims.
According to reports, the helicopter crashed into a park near a large single-story building, damaging several parked vehicles. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be responsible for investigating the incident.
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