A helicopter, carrying at least six people, crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon, leaving six people dead, reports say.
Around 3:15 p.m., the helicopter, a Bell 206 LongRanger, went down into the river that divides New York City from New Jersey. The helicopter appeared to have taken off from Manhattan, according to FlightRadar24.
A mixture of adults and children were aboard the helicopter, NBC4 reported. An official told The Associated Press that six people were aboard and all were deceased.
Rescue efforts were underway on both sides of the river. New York Police Department officials said emergency responders were gathered near the West Side Highway and Spring Street.
NYPD told locals to “expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas.”
Videos of the incident circulated social media, showing emergency boats surrounding the helicopter, which was upside down in the waters.
Avi Rakesh, who posted a video of the helicopter on X, said he witnessed one of the helicopter blades fly off.
“I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped,” Rakesh told NBC News. “It dropped feet away from Holland Tunnel, and I can’t imagine if it hit it.”
Shortly after the incident, emergency responders pulled at least four people from the helicopter.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board said they were leading the investigation on the incident.
“A Bell 206 helicopter crashed and is submerged in the Hudson River in New York City,” the FAA and NTSB said.
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