Two dead and 12 injured as helicopter hits crane on new Thames skyscraper and plunges into traffic after pilot flew into bad weather

Two people died today including a pilot and 12 more were injured - one critically - after a helicopter struck a newly-built tower and plunged into rush hour traffic in central London.

Witnesses said the helicopter - which had requested to divert via Heathrow air traffic control and land at Battersea Heliport due to bad weather conditions - hit a crane at the top of the tower near Vauxhall Bridge in Vauxhall, central London, at 8am.
The AgustaWestland AW109 twin-engine helicopter, which struck the under-construction luxury The Tower St George Wharf, was reported to have been carrying a pilot but no passengers. One witness said the crane driver had a lucky escape from the crash after being unusually late for work.
The aircraft hit the ground just 20 yards from Vauxhall station, which is a major commuting hub in the capital. It was using the route of the River Thames and was believed to have been heading from Redhill, Surrey, to Elstree, Hertfordshire, to collect an executive.
Witnesses reported very low cloud at the time of the accident, suggesting the pilot may not have seen the crane, which was barely visible from street level. At least two cars were hit by debris from the crash. The area was evacuated because of the precarious position of the crane at the top of the tower

Five of the injured were taken to hospital and the other seven were treated at the scene, ambulance officials said. Three were taken to St Thomas’ Hospital and two went to King’s College Hospital. A reception centre for members of public involved in the incident was also set up by ambulance staff.

One eyewitness said the helicopter was 'rocking and shaking from side to side' before crashing. A worker at the New Covent Garden Flower Market, around 200 yards from the crash site, said some debris from the crash - believed to be the gearbox - hit somebody working there in the leg.

EYEWITNESS: HELICOPTER WAS SHAKING BEFORE IT HIT CRANE

Sharon Moore lives on an estate just yards from the crash scene.
The 36-year-old telephoned the emergency services having witnessed the crash with her eight year old daughter Tia at 7:55am.
She said: 'We looked up and we heard firstly the helicopter and one minute it was flying normally and the next it was being erratic.
'It was rocking and shaking from side to side and then it went straight into the arm of the crane.
'The helicopter just came spiralling down and then it hit at least one car that was driving towards Vauxhall.
'There were three loud bangs which just went "boom boom boom" and it looked as if another car was also on fire.'

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was searching the Thames as part of the emergency services' response to the accident. The charity launched an inshore lifeboat in the aftermath of the crash.

Terry Alkins, 28, and Joe O'Dwyer, 44, were working on an adjacent building site when the helicopter crashed into the crane.

Mr Alkins said: 'It was around 8am and we just heard this massive bang. We ran off the site and down the road and seconds later we saw the helicopter or what was left of it in flames lying on the road.

‘From what I saw I will be amazed if the pilot survived.  There were at least three cars on fire, including a silver Range Rover and there were some motorbikes strewn over the road.'

Mr O’Dywer added: ‘It was so foggy this morning that you couldn't see the crane, which is attached to the residential tower that's being built.’

The London Fire Brigade said it had received numerous calls about the incident. Eight fire engines and four fire rescue units and 88 firefighters plus officers attended the scene. 

The London Ambulance Service sent a motorcycle responder, six ambulance crews, its hazardous area response team and two officers to the scene. The first crew was at the area in less than four minutes. The air ambulance medical team were also dispatched in a car.
The incident happened close to the MI6 headquarters, which reportedly went into lockdown for a short period when the helicopter first crashed over fears the spy office may have been under attack.
Witness Robert Oxley told Sky News: ‘There’s a very low hanging cloud which means you can hardly see the top of the building and that would explain why the helicopter hit it.