Air Transport

Surveillance camera images have emerged of the moment a US Airways Airbus A320 ditched into the Hudson River in New York, capturing the aircraft as it slowed to a halt and the initial moments of evacuation.

The 10min section of video, from a US Coast Guard vessel traffic service camera, covers the time between 15:29 and 15:39 on 15 January.

US Airways flight 1549's emergency ditching occurred at 15:31, about 2min 2s into the video section.

It shows the aircraft decelerating on the surface of the river, before zooming in to capture the evacuation process - with passengers clambering onto the wings - and the approach of the first vessels to attend the scene.

In addition to ships, the US Coast Guard says it provided air support with four helicopters from its Atlantic City and Cape Code air stations. The aircraft has since been taken to Battery Park City where the Coast Guard is providing a "safety zone" around the jet while salvage teams work on it.

Efforts will begin today to lift the A320 from the water to assist the gathering of evidence.

Flight 1549 from New York LaGuardia to Charlotte came down shortly after departure, apparently after striking birds.