This morning in Seattle, WA, at least two people were killed when a news helicopter crashed in downtown Seattle near the popular tourist area by the Space Needle, local news reported.
When emergency crew responders arrived at the scene of the crash, they found two people dead, the Seattle Fire Department said on its Twitter page.
Local television station KOMO, an ABC affiliate, said the fallen aircraft was one of its news helicopters.
“KOMO chopper crash appears to have taken lives of our colleagues on board,” Keith Eldridge, a reporter and anchor with the station, said on his Twitter page.
We heard the helicopter crash right outside our newsroom. At least 2 cars involved @komonews pic.twitter.com/06XFi4ArCy
— Kelly Koopmans (@KellyKOMO4) March 18, 2014
News helicopter crashes, burns beside Space Needle – http://t.co/TvU5Dy9aLt pic.twitter.com/ptZhAUje6u
— KOMO News (@komonews) March 18, 2014
I lost 2 colleagues in 2 helicopter crashes while working in Denver. Now it appears I've lost a 3rd friend. pic.twitter.com/8MPhtm8wTW
— Keith Eldridge (@KeithKOMO4) March 18, 2014
From the KOMO website, photos reveal flames and smoke coming from the cars near the scene. Video news footage after the fire had been extinguished showed charred vehicles with their windows blown out and fire retardant foam in the street.
A 37-year-old man who crawled out of one car was transported in critical condition to a local hospital, the Seattle Police Department said on its Twitter page. Three cars were set on fire, police said.
Medics transporting an approx 37 yo male to HMC in critical condition self extricated from car pic.twitter.com/hhVAX0qmbs
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) March 18, 2014
The helicopter went down on Broad Street, close to the famous Seattle Space Needle, KOMO said on their website.
The Space Needle is a highly populated tourist attraction, and hosts a children’s museum and Pacific Science Center, among other attractions.
Witness Chris McColgan, 26, told the Seattle Times the helicopter appeared to have fallen from the helipad at the top of the KOMO building, the paper reported on its website.
“The engine made a pretty deep noise … and about two seconds after that I heard the boom,” witness Daniel Gonzalez told KOMO.
One more photo showing how close helicopter crash was to Space Needle. More here: http://t.co/4fVmXWIfWG pic.twitter.com/7RLlII74up
— Michael Harthorne (@MHarthorneKOMO) March 18, 2014
Image via Twitter, Seattle Fire Dept
