Early reports suggest that six people aboard a tourist helicopter that plunged on 10 April into the Hudson River were killed.
Dramatic videos circulating on social media purportedly show the rotorcraft breaking apart mid-air, including an apparent loss of rotors, before hitting the water near the George Washington Bridge in New York.
Other videos claim to show aircraft wreckage washing up on the river’s shores.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a “submerged” helicopter was in the Hudson but did not provide further details.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said on social media that six people – “a family from Spain” – were killed in the accident. He does not specify the condition of flight crew.
Fulop says that Jersey City is leading the investigation until it will “pass” it along to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Local officials say the Bell 206 crashed some 15min after departing from a heliport on Wall Street. The accident occurred at about 15:00 local time.
The NTSB says it is sending a team to the site of the accident and that chair Jennifer Homendy will “serve as spokesperson on-scene”.
