New York: helicopter crashes into East River
Two deaths and three people in critical condition, such is the balance sheet of the crash in the East River. Before the crash, the pilot spoke of an engine failure, but the exact causes of the accident remain to be determined.
A helicopter crashed Sunday night in the East River in New York, killing at least two people, city officials said. According to New York police and fire chiefs, the helicopter, which was carrying six people including the pilot, crashed in the East River at 90th Street shortly after 7 pm local time (11 pm GMT), after a sunny day.
"The pilot managed to get out, but the other five could not," fire chief Daniel Nigro said in a brief press conference.
Divers were immediately dispatched to the scene, which cleared the five passengers, in difficult conditions because of the strong current at this location, he explained. Two of them were pronounced dead on the scene, and the three others were "hospitalized in critical condition", he added, without giving any details about their identity.
Maybe an engine problem
He added that the five passengers were tied to their seats, perhaps explaining why they could not get away. The helicopter belonged to a company called Liberty, which organizes flights for tourists wishing to fly over the US financial capital. According to Chief Constable James O'Neill, the camera was rented for photographers.
The New York authorities have not immediately cited any cause for this accident, stating simply that the federal transport safety authority, the National Transportation Safety Board, was in charge of the investigation.
Several media outlets , which broadcast images of the red helicopter sinking into the river, spoke of a distress call from the pilot just before the tragedy, citing an engine problem.
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