Helicopter crash lands in Midtown, fire breaks out - New York Fire Department

Source: RT

June 10, 2019 at 14:57

A view of 787 7th Avenue in midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, on June 10, 2019. © Reuters / Brendan McDermid

One person has died after a helicopter crash-landed onto the roof of a midtown Manhattan building and caught fire, New York Fire Department officials have confirmed.

The helicopter crashed into a 54-story office building on New York's 7th avenue, north of the Theater District and Times Square, just before 2pm.

Helicopter crahes into Midtown manhattan and informed speculation seems like it crashed into roof* of building pic.twitter.com/iWBab7hoK9
— Weston Blasi (@westonblasi) June 10, 2019

Emergency responders continue to work at the scene "in response to fuel leaking from the helicopter," FDNY tweeted.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo showed up on the scene shortly after the accident. Asked by a reporter how he felt to hear an aircraft had crashed into a Manhattan building, he said every New Yorker had "a level of PTSD from 9/11,” but added that there was no indication that there was anything more to the incident and that the aircraft had just attempted an emergency or “hard” landing on the roof.

Look around the helicopter crash after math pic.twitter.com/3hpgwHkCS2
— Israel Ortega Cruz (@IsZurc) June 10, 2019

Cuomo also said the emergency responders had brought the fire on the roof under control. Around 100 fire and emergency service units have been dispatched to the area.

Footage emerged on Twitter of the building being evacuated after the crash. "We felt a jolt in our building and shortly after got the instruction to evacuate," one worker in the building tweeted.

Evacuation in Midtown West. 51st Street and 6th Ave near Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Centre.

We felt a jolt in our building and shortly after got the instruction to evacuate. #NYC #Evacuation #Midtown pic.twitter.com/lH2YwilqqJ
— Javanni. (@JavanniWaugh) June 10, 2019