News Helicopter Crashes By Seattle's Space Needle, Killing Two
A news helicopter crashed in downtown Seattle Tuesday morning, killing two people and injuring one, officials said.
The chopper, used by local television networks KOMO, an ABC affiliate, and KING5, an NBC affiliate, went down near Seattle's Space Needle at about 7:40 a.m. PT. Photos showed a fire and large plumes of smoke where it crashed.
Two people died on the scene, where three cars were burning, the Seattle Fire Department said. Paramedics took a 37-year-old man, who had been in one of the cars, to the hospital in critical condition.
The man managed to pull himself out of the car before he was taken to Harborview Medical Center, KING5.com reported.
Three passengers were on board the helicopter, which was taking off from a downtown helipad when it crashed and burned, according to the FAA. It was not immediately clear whether there were other casualties.
The crash happened in the 400 block of Broad Street, next to Fisher Plaza, where KOMO is based. The weather was cloudy with winds of about 7 mph at the time.
Reporting from the scene, KING5's Greg Copeland said officials had dumped a large amount of sand on the ground to soak up fuel from the crashed aircraft.
The Seattle Police Department warned residents to say away from the area, tweeting that the investigation "will continue for many hours."
LIVE NEWS COVERAGE:
http://www.king5.com/live-stream/pop...116248999.html
So tragic. I live only an hour away .. RIP to those killed..
