A news helicopter crashed in the Chatsworth community of Los Angeles while covering a bus collision Tuesday evening, killing three people, officials said.
The aircraft crashed in a parking lot at or near a self-storage facility in the community, which is in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department and news video on the ground from NBC Los Angeles.
The aircraft involved was a news helicopter, the station reported.
Three people were dead at the scene and another was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, the department in a statement. At least one of the deceased appeared to be a pedestrian on the ground when the crash happened. Fire Capt. Branden Silverman said at the scene.
The helicopter crash occurred after two people were killed and others were injured in a crash between a Los Angeles Metro bus and a passenger vehicle on Nordhoff Street, according to the fire department.
It said that the bus crash happened at 5:03 p.m. and that firefighters worked to free the trapped people and assess the bus passengers.
Fire and police personnel were nearby, Silverman said. They rushed to the crash, reported shortly before 7 p.m., and found the helicopter engulfed in flames, which had spread to nearby parked vehicles, he added.
The LAFD said the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be involved in the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass praised first responders for their quick reaction and expressed grief over those who were killed in the bus collision and aircraft crash.
“I’m absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight,” she said in a statement. “My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
