HELICOPTER CRASH IN LOS ANGELES KILLS AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE

A helicopter crash in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles has killed at least three people, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. One further person was taken to hospital in an unknown condition, the fire department said. The aircraft came down in a car park between two commercial buildings, hitting or landing near parked vehicles. Fire department spokesperson Captain Branden Silverman described the helicopter as "pretty well destroyed" and said crews would search the wreckage to determine how many people had been aboard. Silverman said it was not immediately clear whether all the dead had been in the helicopter, noting one victim was found in the car park itself.

The crash happened shortly after a sports utility vehicle struck a Los Angeles Metro bus in the same area, killing at least two people and injuring six others, officials said. Several media reports identified the helicopter as a television news aircraft that had been covering the bus crash. More than 50 firefighters were sent to tackle the resulting blaze, which damaged four vehicles and two storage containers before being extinguished by Tuesday evening, the fire department said. Footage from the scene showed shipping containers and vehicles alight, with firefighters working to put out the flames.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the helicopter crash, the fire department said. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was "devastated" by the loss of life from both the helicopter crash and the bus collision. Bass thanked emergency responders for their swift response to the two incidents. Several television news helicopters had been reporting on the bus crash from the area at the time.