A tragic incident unfolded in a Los Angeles neighborhood when a news helicopter crashed, resulting in the deaths of at least three individuals. The helicopter went down and ignited in flames near the location of a bus accident that had occurred just hours prior.
The crash took place close to a single-story commercial structure in Chatsworth, situated in the San Fernando Valley. News crews were on site reporting on the earlier bus collision, which had already claimed the lives of two people and left six others injured, as stated by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
During a live segment, an anchor from NBC4 Los Angeles confirmed that their helicopter went down shortly before 7 PM.
According to Captain Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, one of the fatalities from the helicopter accident was a person located in the parking lot adjacent to the commercial building. It remains uncertain if the other two victims were inside the helicopter or on the ground.
One individual was transported to a hospital, but their medical status has not been disclosed.
Silverman mentioned, “We are in the process of determining how many individuals were aboard the helicopter.” He described the wreckage as “pretty well destroyed” and noted that rescue teams would be sifting through the debris to identify the number of victims on the helicopter.
In the aftermath of the crash, at least four vehicles and two storage containers on the ground were engulfed in flames, though the fire was quickly extinguished. More than 50 firefighters were dispatched to the scene of the helicopter incident, according to fire department reports.
Prior to the helicopter crash, an SUV had collided with a city bus, resulting in two fatalities and six injuries. Images and videos circulating online displayed half of the SUV embedded in the side of an MTA bus.
The helicopter crash occurred approximately 1.5 miles away from the site of the bus accident.
Investigations into the cause of the helicopter crash will be conducted by both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
