A helicopter crash in Houston, Texas, on Sunday killed multiple individuals, including a toddler, according to local police.
According to the Houston Fire Department, the helicopter was carrying four people when it crashed into a radio tower in the city’s east on Sunday evening.
Local media sites reported a huge number of emergency workers on the scene.
According to fire officials, the victims were in the chopper when it crashed.
Their identities have not yet been revealed. Houston authorities believe the aircraft was a privately owned R44 helicopter that took off from Ellington Field, roughly 15 miles (24 kilometres) from the crash site.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously issued a notification that the tower’s lights were not working, according to local broadcaster KHOU-TV, a CBS News affiliate.
The fire department published pictures on social media of rescue responders assessing the damage at the scene.
Police Chief J. Noe Diaz told a press conference at the scene of the incident that no one on the ground appeared to have been injured.
According to Fire Department Chief Thomas Munoz, the incident caused a fire to spread over a “big area of land” that covered an estimated two to three blocks.
Speaking at the same late-night briefing, he stated, “Fortunately, there were no residents, but it was close to residents.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said it was “fortunate” that the incident did not result in a larger explosion. Some residences around the crash scene lost power, he stated.
Officials stated that the radio tower was the only structure on the ground damaged by the impact.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will look into the incident.
