News helicopter crashes in Los Angeles during bus crash coverage, three dead

Three people have died after a news helicopter crashed in suburban Los Angeles, fire authorities in the city have said.

NBC Los Angeles confirmed the helicopter was the broadcaster's NewsChopper4, and was in the area on Tuesday reporting on a deadly bus crash.

The aircraft went down between two commercial buildings in the Chatsworth neighbourhood, a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) spokesperson told the BBC. One person has been transferred to a local hospital and their condition remains unknown.

Footage from the scene showed two shipping containers and several vehicles burning. The blaze has been extinguished, the fire department said.

During emotional live coverage on NBC4, veteran news anchor Colleen Williams confirmed it was the local news station's helicopter that crashed.

"We knew it was a news chopper. We knew we'd lost contact with our people out there, and we've just received confirmation," Williams said.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Central Division posted on X that it extended "thoughts and prayers to the family, friends and colleagues of KNBC 4, Los Angeles".

The LAPD said it was not yet known how many people were onboard.

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.

The incident occurred just before 19:00 local time (01:00 BST) on Tuesday in the area of Lurline Avenue and Nordhoff Street.

Several news helicopters were in the area at the time of the incident reporting on a bus crash.

Earlier in the day, two people were killed and six others were injured after an SUV crashed into a city bus in Chatsworth, BBC's US partner CBS reported.