NEW YORK, APR 11 (AFP/APP/DNA):A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, emergency services said, as local media reported multiple deaths in the incident.
Several people were pulled from the water and taken to a hospital in New Jersey, the NBC4 broadcaster reported citing law enforcement at the scene, adding that four had died.
ABC7 reported three fatalities, although emergency services had yet to confirm any toll.
Images showed the chopper’s landing skids protruding from the river beside Manhattan’s West Side Highway as several boats clustered around the impact site.
Police from both New York and New Jersey, which is on the opposite side of the river from Manhattan, were at the scene along with fire department vessels.
The NBC4 channel reported that its own helicopter was unable to take off because of conditions, with the weather in New York on Thursday windy under thick cloud cover.
Witnesses told the outlet that the main rotor blade had come loose from the aircraft.
Aircraft tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that based on air traffic control data the helicopter was likely a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV.