Los Angeles helicopter crash: At least three dead, several injured; NTSB to investigate

Three people have died after a helicopter crashed between two commercial buildings in the Chatsworth neighbourhood of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The helicopter went down near Lurline Avenue and Nordhoff Street shortly before 19:00 local time on Tuesday, an LAFD spokesperson was quoted as saying in an interview.

One person was taken to a nearby hospital following the crash. Their condition was not immediately known. Video from the scene showed two shipping containers and several vehicles engulfed in flames. Firefighters later extinguished the blaze, the fire department said. It was not immediately clear who was operating the helicopter. However, local media reports indicated that it may have been a news helicopter that was covering the scene of an earlier fatal bus crash in Chatsworth.

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Earlier, LAFD Captain Branden Silverman told the local affiliate of the BBC's US partner CBS, "We do have one confirmed patient that seemed to be outside of the helicopter when it crashed. "That person was declared deceased on scene," Silverman said. Silverman did not provide details on how many people were aboard the helicopter when it crashed. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed that the helicopter involved was not one of its aircraft.

Several news helicopters were reportedly operating in the area at the time, covering an earlier collision involving an SUV and a city bus. Two people were killed and six others injured in that earlier crash, which occurred in Chatsworth, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner. The circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash remain under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the incident.