NEW YORK — At least two people were killed and one person rescued after a helicopter crashed in New York City’s East River, authorities said. The aircraft — a Eurocopter AS350 — went down near Roosevelt Island around 7 p.m. Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
Six people were aboard chopper when it crashed, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. One person was rescued by a tugboat and five others were “recovered by divers,” it said. Their conditions are currently unknown.
The helicopter that went down is consistent with the kind of helicopter often used for aerial tours in the city, an FAA official told CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave.
A federal source briefed on the response told CBS News the helicopter is registered to Meridian Consulting out of Kearny, New Jersey. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is sending a team to investigate the crash Monday morning.
This social media video appeared to show the moment the chopper crashed into the river.
The helicopter reported an engine failure during a the mayday call to air traffic control, according to audio posted to liveatc.net. The audio revealed that the helicopter was upside down in the water as rescue boats arrived at the scene.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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