A helicopter crashed in the centre of London on Wednesday morning. The Daily Shift’s Josh Prenderville has the story…
The scenes in the aftermath of Wednesday morning’s helicopter crash
Two people are dead and several others injured after a helicopter crashed into a crane in central London.
The pilot of the helicopter is among the dead, along with a bystander.
Of the nine injured, four were treated at the scene with five of them now being cared for at various hospitals around London. One of them is reported to be in a critical condition.
The helicopter smashed into two cars before hitting the ground. Witnesses described seeing a “massive ball of flames” and an ear-splitting “explosion” just after 8am on Wednesday morning.
The accident took place in the Vauxhall area of the city, with the crane in question being a part of the St George Wharf development. The tower was still under construction.
One eye-witness, Michael Krumstets, told Sky News:
“We ran from the side of the road and it hit the road just beside us and then it exploded.”
Another witness, Sarah-Beth Casey, who lives in an apartment near where the incident took place, added:
“When I heard the explosion – it was like a little earthquake. It was like a gas explosion I looked up to see debris falling off the tower.”
London was this morning mobbed by heavy fog, but the authorities have not yet stated a definite reason for the incident. However, terrorism was immediately ruled out as a possible cause.
According to the Daily Telegraph, helicopter pilots had been warned about the tower just last week. Two warning lights on top of the building were checked yesterday and were working.
The crane, while being reported to be in a “precarious” position, provides “no imminent risk” of collapsing, according to the London Fire Brigade.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he was ”very saddened to learn of the fatalities and injuries” in the accident.
A spokesman for Berkeley Group, the umbrella company for the St George property developers who are carrying out work, said that “our thoughts at this time are with the friends and families of those killed and injured in this tragic incident.”
