As it happened: Helicopter crash

Welcome to our coverage of a helicopter crash in Vauxhall, south London. We will bring up updates as the situation develops.

Police said they first received calls at 08:00 GMT and the London Ambulance Service said it was also at the scene.

At the scene, our correspondent says the top of the building is masked by mist and low cloud. "This is clearly a very major incident, there is a huge emergency response here," he says.

Witnesses reported seeing debris on the ground. Many images on Twitter show flames, burning fuel, and black smoke.

London Fire Brigade says more than 60 firefighters are attending incident on Wandsworth Road, and eight fire engines are there.

Our correspondent has been told by the Met Police: "It's very early stages but there is no suggestion yet this was terrorism. There is no Special Operations involvement at the moment."

BBC News reporter Angus Crawford is at the scene. He says the helicopter clearly stuck half way along the cantilever of the crane. "There are a lot of fire engines, ambulances and police. We are being moved back as a cordon is set up. The helicopter came down just behind the Covent Garden flower market. Vauxhall bus station has been evacuated."

Residents have photographed the smoke rising.

Public transport in the area has been disrupted, with Vauxhall railway station closed, although South West Trains services are passing through without stopping, and Vauxhall Bus Station has been evacuated.

Eyewitness Matt Harverson told Sky News: "Everyone thought it was a terrorist attack. It was quite early. It was very scary. Everybody was trying to get out of the building." The site of the incident is near the MI6 building and also close to where the new US Embassy is being built.

A high-rise building is being built in the area, and National Air Traffic Services (Nats) notified pilots last week that there was a high-rise jib crane operating at Vauxhall at a height of 770ft above sea level.

London Fire Brigade say four fire engines and and two fire rescue units are at the scene of a crane in a "precarious position" at St George's Wharf, south London.

Our correspondent at the scene: "The skyline on the South Bank is absolutely dotted with cranes working on construction sites."

Paul Ferguson was looking out towards the St George's Tower and saw what happened: "It fell on the Wandsworth Road which is very close to the mainline commuter train going into Waterloo. But the trains, as far as I can still see, are still running. But there's mayhem now with traffic... The emergency services got here very, very quickly I must say and have been dealing with it since."

View of the emergency service response from one of Transport for London's traffic cameras in Vauxhall.

Eyewitness Aaron Rogers tells BBC Radio 5 live: "There are police everywhere, they have closed the roads off. I wouldn't suggest Vauxhall is the place to go in a car."

Chris Matthison was making his way to work when he witnessed the crash: "There was the sound of the helicopter as I was leaving home near Vauxhall where there is fairly low misty cloud. There was a sudden very unusual buzzing sound, a very dull thud and then silence. It was the silence really that caught my imagination the most and made me worry that there was a real problem."

Chris Matthison continues: "The emergency services were on the scene very quickly but there was a very serious fire in the middle of Wandsworth Road where the helicopter had come down and there seemed to be several cars in the road that had also been affected. But the fire brigade were in attendance very quickly and you can only hope that their efforts are fruitful."

Aviation expert Chris Yates tells Sky News: "Helicopters are not supposed to come within 500ft of any major structure, such as a high-rise building, so we don't know what caused the pilot to come quite so close to that building. We don't know the conditions or whether he misread his instructions from air traffic control."

Lawyer Chris Jenkins, originally from Penarth, was cycling alongside the River Thames when the crash happened.

"I heard a very loud boom that sounded like an articulated lorry crashing or exploding from the other side of the river. I couldn't turn around to see what had happened because I was going quite quickly along Embankment.

"When I got to the office I could see a mushroom-type plume of smoke. It's chaos, sirens everywhere and police boats on the river.

"There are more police vans heading west on Embankment to Vauxhall."

Local resident Sarah-Beth Casey told Sky News: "When you live next to a high-rise building you always worry about 9/11. I have three small children and now this has happened. It is a constant [worry]. It's at the back of your mind. It sounded like an earthquake. I screamed at my husband to get my children out of the flat. I could see debris falling off the tower and you knew that is where something had happened."

Colin Cavanagh lives in the area. He told the BBC: "When I heard the explosion I wasn't overly concerned as there's a lot of bangs and crashes around here because of the building work. But when I saw the smoke, I wondered what had happened. There's no transport here at the moment. everywhere is just blocked off. Vauxhall Cross is completely shut off but the smoke has gone now."

Abandoned motorcycles can be seen very near the burning wreckage.

Michael Gavin was waiting for a train at Vauxhall railway station when he witnessed the accident. "The top of the crane was obscured by fog so I didn't see the impact with the crane, but I saw the helicopter fall and bits of crane fall. It was really quite shocking.

"There was a group of us waiting on the train platform and we were worried. We knew that the helicopter had hit the ground fairly close by. The police have cordoned off the area, I must have been on one of the last trains to leave the station. There was a lot of thick black smoke for about 15 mins."

Pedestrians gathered to take photos of the wreckage.

Craig Dunne was walking to work at the time of the accident: "When I got to the end of the road there was a massive explosion and the crane is obviously in pieces, and I looked to the left-hand side and there were cars - three cars on fire - people screaming shouting and hollering, and the next thing I know there are police, ambulances and everything everywhere and people going crazy. Its madness - absolute madness"

Police are moving the cordon back from the scene, due to a gas smell.

Eyewitnesses report that the aviation fuel burst into flame during the impact, causing thick black smoke to fill the skies around Vauxhall. The smoke has now cleared.

Emergency services said two people have been taken to a south London hospital. Their condition has not been released.

The BBC's Sean Curran took this picture of the top of the St George's Wharf Tower, clearly showing the top of the tower shrouded in low cloud.

London Fire Brigade said firefighters had rescued a man from a burning car and he was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews.

Here are the main images so far from the helicopter crash at Vauxhall in south London

BBC correspondent Ross Hawkins at the scene said announcements were being made to keep people back from the site. Part of the crane has been knocked to the ground. He could see three fire engines, a major incident unit, huge numbers of police, London Fire Brigade vehicles with heavy lifting equipment among the response.

Firefighters have brought the fire under control.

Gary Slater, a helicopter pilot with more than 20 years experience, told the BBC these sorts of accidents in the UK are extremely rare. He said: "There are specific heli-routes running across London, it is a very controlled area, probably one of the safest in the world in my opinion.

"If you want to erect a crane in London of any significant height... there is something called a Notam (Notice to Airmen)... it's a known value that the crane is there, they don't just erect them."

Gary Slater, experienced helicopter pilot, adds: "The downside of any aviation is weather... Flying in fog is one of the worst things in a helicopter."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We are monitoring the situation closely and the independent Air Accidents Investigation Branch are preparing to send a team of inspectors to the site to determine the circumstances behind this incident."

Conservative MP Nicky Morgan was walking towards Vauxhall when the accident happened. She told BBC News she realised something "dramatic" had happened because of the thick black smoke.

"Within a minute there were sirens, so you felt that the emergency services were immediately reacting, which was comforting. It is a terrible, unexpected tragedy. I wondered if it was a bomb explosion."

Met Police have told BBC News: "It's very early stages but there is no suggestion yet this was terrorism. There is no SO (Special Operations) involvement at the moment".

Bruce Grain, station manager from the London Fire Brigade, tells BBC Radio 5 live: "We were on the scene within four minutes... The helicopter crashed into the centre of Wandsworth Road and burst into flames.

"The fire spread to buildings along the road. We were able to rescue someone from one of the burning cars that the helicopter hit. All the fires are under control now, we're damping down and making the area ready for the investigation."

We've created a map of the scene, showing where the crane and the crash site are.

Damage to the crane on top of St George's Wharf Tower is becoming more visible as low cloud clears.

Bruce Grain, from the London Fire Brigade, added that parts of the wreckage landed on the roofs of the buildings, and firefighters had been up to check that all the fires were extinguished.

He said he was unable to confirm any information about passengers due to the amount of wreckage, but that will become apparent throughout the day. He said they were not looking for any further casualties.

Regarding the risk from widespread aviation fuel, he said: "We don't know how much was on board, that's why we've got lots of hoses and a large quantity of foam, but we were able to put the fire out very quickly and make it safe. All the surrounding fires are out."

Max James Tolhurst, a manager at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, told the BBC he was walking along Wandsworth Road and saw the aftermath of the crash. "I didn't see the actual impact but as I was walking up the Wandsworth Road, I just saw lots of debris and fire... I walked closer and saw a crowd starting to gather before the police came over, it looked horrific. I went on to work at St Thomas's Hospital and I know the teams were getting ready for whatever is going to emerge."

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution station on the River Thames tweets: Lifeboat crew are searching the Thames after possible sighting of a person in river after this morning's helicopter crash.

Just to give an idea of the geography of the crash area - St George's Tower is on the south bank of the River Thames, with residential flats to the east and the MI6 building. To the west is the site of the new US Embassy, as well as New Covent Garden market. To the south is the south west main railway line and bus station.

The BBC's Giles Booth photographed the crane days before the crash. The long boom of the crane extends high into the air above St George's Tower.

King's College Hospital in Camberwell, south London, confirmed a further two patients were being treated there for minor injuries.

A spokesman said: "Following the helicopter crash in London this morning, we can confirm that we are treating two patients at King's for minor injuries."

The aircraft is understood to be an AgustaWestland AW109, a lightweight, twin-engine helicopter with eight seats.

Defence expert Paul Beaver said: "We have rules and there are procedures in place for helicopter flight. The River Thames is a safe place to fly through because aircraft can land in the water."

Part of the crane can be seen on the road next to the construction site.

Earlier in the helicopter's journey the pilot had been receiving an air traffic control service from NATS, although was not receiving a service at the time of the crash.

BBC correspondent Vicky Young, at the scene, said she had heard that the crane driver was late for work this morning, and that two delivery van drivers said some wreckage hit the back of their van.

Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey told BBC London 94.9 the rapid increase in the number of tall buildings in London means more rigorous controls about who can fly where were needed.

She said there's no reason why there shouldn't be a debate about why so many helicopters are allowed to fly over central London.

More images are appearing of the aftermath of the accident. Here a burn-out car is abandoned in the road, as firemen look on.

Five of the injured people were treated at the scene, with four others - including one critically injured person - taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police says.

Eyewitness Angela Henderson was on the platform at Vauxhall railway station: "As I got off the train I noticed the whole of the top of the building was shrouded in mist. Moments later I heard a massive crash and saw a shudder. A huge cylindrical object - which must have been part of the crane - fell to the ground. There was a brief eerie silence before the bang of the helicopter hitting the ground."

The London Fire Brigade told the BBC earlier that firefighters had checked roofs to ensure all fires had been extinguished. Here is an image of some of them up a ladder carrying out checks, with a mainline train in the background.

The RNLI says its River Thames lifeboat has been stood down from its search following the helicopter crash at Vauxhall.

Here is a wider image of the street scene. It shows the burnt car, damaged bins, damage to the building, metal debris strewn across the blackened asphalt, as well as water from the firefighting effort.

The police are expected to hold a press conference at 11:30 GMT at Vauxhall bus station.

Aviation expert Chris Yates told the BBC: "Helicopter routes are clearly defined through London airspace for all obviously reasons, not least of which is the high rise buildings.

"All of these high rise buildings should have navigation lights on top of them, any structures attached to them such as cranes, should have those navigation lights which blink away to give a visual indication to aircraft to avoid. The question must be whether the visibility was so poor this morning, that the navigation lights weren't visible to the pilot as he traversed the airspace."

Further details about the emergency response have been given by London Fire Brigade: Six fire engines, four fire rescue units, a number of other specialist vehicles, 88 firefighters and officers are attending the crash scene.

Fifty-seven firefighters and officers are also attending the crane which has been left in a precarious position at St Georges Wharf. Four fire engines and two fire rescue units are in attendance there too.

The British Airline Pilots' Association has published a statement about the London incident, and referencing the grounding of Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes in Japan after a battery problem.

"We will fully support the Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) who will be on site and help them determine the cause of today's tragic incident. Today's two aviation incidents - in Central London and in Japan - remind us that air safety is important 24/7/365, for all types of operations, in all weather conditions and in every corner of the world."

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust say they are treating three people at St Thomas' Hospital in central London, following the "incident" in Vauxhall.

Mangled wreckage can be seen on the street behind the police cordon tape. From this distance it's difficult to see what exactly it is, though.

Met Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the helicopter was diverting to Battersea heliport, rather than travelling directly there. The helicopter's exact journey has yet to be confirmed.

Bernie Bullen

Bernie Bullen, a delivery driver, was close to the tower when the helicopter crashed. He told the BBC: "The weather this morning was ever so foggy... The crane driver was late for the first time in years, otherwise he would have been in the crane, so he had some luck."

Vauxhall station, which was closed shortly after the accident, has re-opened, British Transport Police say.

Vauxhall railway station has reopened, according to South West Trains and National Rail.

Some debris hit buildings. Here a policeman guards a cordon around a chunk outside a Vauxhall building.

Here's our round-up of what witnesses have been telling the BBC about the crash and its aftermath.

Police are giving a statement.

The police say it was commercial helicopter on a scheduled flight.

Bruce Grain of the London Fire Brigade said they had been told there were two people on board the helicopter.

The police say they are working closely with air accident investigators.

The helicopter was on a scheduled flight from Redhill aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire, but was diverted.

The BBC weather centre says weather observations at the time of the crash reported showed very low cloud but not thick fog. The nearest observation site was London City Airport which at 08:00 GMT reported 700m visibility with broken cloud at a height of 100ft.

The crane is in a precarious position, and crews are checking it, the authorities say, during a press conference being held close to the scene at Vauxhall in central London.

All the emergency services say their hearts go out to the families involved.

Ambulance crews have treated nine patients at Vauxhall. Five were taken to hospital, and four treated on the scene. One car driver was able to get out of his car even though he was injured.

The fire brigade said once everything is safe "we will restore London to normality as soon as possible".

There was no-one working in the crane at the time of the crash, the press conference hears.

To recap the main points:

• Two people have died in a helicopter crash near Vauxhall train station just after 08:00 GMT on Wednesday
• One of the dead is the pilot of the aircraft. The other was in one of the nearby buildings
• The helicopter hit a crane on a construction site at St George's Tower. The top of the tower is reported to have been shrouded in low cloud at the time of the crash
• The helicopter burst into flames and fell onto Wandsworth Road, hitting two cars and igniting two nearby buildings
• The commercial helicopter was on a scheduled flight from Redhill aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire
• Nine people were treated for their injuries at Vauxhall, five have been taken to hospital and four treated at the scene

Prime Minister David Cameron is "very saddened to learn of the fatalities and injuries" in the helicopter crash, his spokesman says.

Here's a different view of the wreckage, with fire appliances in the background.

Bruce Grain, station manager from the London Fire Brigade, said the service was handing over control of the incident site to the Met Police for their investigations. He said part of the tail section of the helicopter landed on roof of St George's Tower and the main section of helicopter landed on Wandsworth Road hitting two cars. The fire from the helicopter ignited two buildings.

Met Police Commander Neil Basu tells BBC News that it's "miraculous" the helicopter crash in London was not much much worse.

Mark Correll was cycling along Wandsworth Road to Camden when the crash happened. He told the BBC: "I heard a massive explosion and looked up to see debris falling everywhere from the sky. I didn't hang around as there was massive debris falling intermittently and if anything had hit me I would have been killed. I thought the building was going to collapse, it was easily the most frightening thing I have ever witnessed."

The London Fire Brigade said there was no reason for anyone to worry about hazardous materials in the air as a result of the accident.

Pauline Cranmer from the London Ambulance service confirms the second person who died in the helicopter crash "wasn't in a building but in close proximity to the helicopter".

The London Ambulance Service has issued a further update following the Vauxhall helicopter crash. Its crews have taken six patients to hospital, five with minor injuries and one with a broken leg. Seven patients treated on scene, it says.

A member of the public told police three months ago that there was no warning light illuminated on the crane in Vauxhall.

James Harvard, a 36-year-old web developer who lives about 800 yards from the scene, tweeted the crew of the Metropolitan Police helicopter, @MPSinthesky on 22 October to voice his concerns.

@harvardjames wrote: "cranes have red light so aircraft can see, yes? Crane atop new tower at Vauxhall had none y'day. Problem?"

The Metropolitan Police helicopter crew replied: "all cranes that are above a certain height have to be lit and those that aren't are reported and fined".

James Harvard replied: "suggest relevant authority has a squint at Vauxhall then? Tower big enough to have lights on side but crane atop unlit y'day"

Mr Harvard told the BBC today that he "assumed the police would know what to do".

Mr Harvard said that he did not witness the crash and did not know whether or not the crane was lit at the time. He said that in the months since he had tweeted his original concerns he had not paid close attention to the crane. "On one occasion I did see a light on the crane" he said, "but it was dim relative to other cranes."

In response to questions from reporters at the scene about apparent concerns regarding the crane's lighting Met Police Commander Basu said: "I'm not aware of those complaints but that will form part of the investigation I am sure."

It is not clear yet whether the crane was lit at the time of the crash.

The police earlier said the flight was being diverted, and a spokesman for the owners of the London Heliport at Battersea confirmed that the pilot had asked to land there because of the bad weather. The aircraft was originally operating from Redhill in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire.

Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, tells the BBC there should be an "inquiry into the increasing numbers of helicopters flying around London" among so many new high-rise buildings.

She says: "The river is a kind of motorway for helicopters, but the noise of course is horrendous sometimes, when we get a lot of helicopters hovering. Maybe we've come to take it almost for granted that people have the right to take their helicopter over London at any time and I think we may have to look at that."

We've produced a clickable map of the crash scene - which you can get to in our main news story.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is due to give a statement at about 12:30 GMT.

Labour leader Ed Miliband also paid tribute to the emergency services in dealing with the crash.

The BBC in Northampton has learnt that more than 60 workers from locally-based firm Briggs and Forrester were working on the Vauxhall Tower project at the time of the helicopter crash this morning. The staff were in a safety meeting at time of crash. The building company's managing director John Wilcox said the briefing is a daily occurrence, but had it not happened, his staff would have been dispersed all over the building.

Witness Michael Krumstets said: "I was on my way to work this morning with my flatmate when the helicopter crashed right next to us. We saw the helicopter clip the crane and heard a loud crack, it started spinning out of control and directly towards us. It took just seconds for this to happen.

"We ran as it fell towards us. We got away just in time. We were just feet away from when it hit the ground and exploded. We are both now at home and in shock."

The London Ambulance Service spokesperson have sent out an updated statement. They say they sent a motorcycle responder, seven ambulance crews, the hazardous area response team, the air ambulance's medical team in a car and four officers to the scene, with the first crew arriving in under four minutes. They confirmed the death of two people, who were confirmed dead at the scene. The service treated six patients, five for minor injuries and one patient for a broken leg. Four of the patients were taken to St Thomas' Hospital and two were taken to King's College Hospital.

The usually busy Vauxhall Bridge was deserted for most of the morning after it was cordoned off by police. In the background the size of the under-construction building where the crane was can be seen as it towers over its neighbours.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it will be providing any assistance required to investigators.

In a statement it said: "There are requirements for lighting on tall structures. In addition, where appropriate, very tall structures are also notified to pilots for flight planning purposes, as was the case with the crane that was involved in this morning's accident."

Here's a recap of the main points, just over four hours after the helicopter crash at Vauxhall, just south of central London:

• The helicopter is believed to have crashed into a crane by St George's Tower near Vauxhall railway station at 08:00 GMT
• Low cloud appears to have shrouded the top of the tower, causing visibility problems
• Two people have died, one of which was the pilot and the other was on the ground in "close proximity" to the crash site
• The flaming fuselage of the helicopter crashed onto Wandsworth Road, hitting two cars and igniting two nearby buildings
• Nearby homes have been evacuated while the area is made safe
• The crash is thought to be an accident, with no links to terrorism

The helicopter had taken off from Redhill aerodrome in Surrey. Chief executive of Redhill Aerodrome Ventures Limited confirmed that only the pilot was on board. He said nothing about the pilot's identity.

Against a blue sky, the damaged crane can be seen hanging down the side of the St George's Tower.

Met Police Commander Neil Basu has thanked emergency services for their work and the public for helping keep the scene secure.

The helicopter crash was raised at Prime Minister's Questions, by the Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey.

PM David Cameron said: "I think the point she makes about the rules for helicopter flights and indeed other flights over our capital city - I'm sure they will be looked at as part of the investigations that will take place. She's right that that's not an issue for today but inevitably, it's something that has to be carefully looked at."

The London Ambulance Service said it had treated 13 patients - six were transferred to hospitals, and seven were treated on scene. In addition a reception centre has been set up for members of public involved but not injured. They are being supported by ambulance service staff.

The crane is still being assessed. At the moment there is no imminent risk of it collapsing and the London Fire Brigade said specialist contractors were helping to secure it.

Met Police Commander Neil Basu reiterated that "it was something of a miracle that this was not many, many times worse."

The London Fire Brigade had to deal with two fires - the helicopter and the building. Here is the damage to the property, which they searched to make sure there were no people trapped inside.

The helicopter left Redhill aerodrome in Surrey at about 07:35 GMT en route to Elstree in Hertfordshire. Jon Horne - chief executive at the aerodrome - said the twin-engine helicopter was "unable to land in Elstree" and the pilot was diverting to an alternate location. He confirmed only the pilot was on board when the aircraft crashed.

In this handout image an AgustaWestland AW109 - reportedly of the type which crashed - is seen airborne.

Ambulance officials say those injured on the ground have been treated for broken bones, cuts, bruises, and shock.

Muriel Bankhead lives near Vauxhall. She says residents had objected to the height of St George's Tower, especially after the attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001. She adds: "Thousands of people are now living below this tower, so it is miraculous that the death and injury toll is not much higher... There were numerous objections to these tall buildings over five or more years, and the warnings were dismissed as alarmist and extremely unlikely to actually happen."

The London Heliport will remain closed for the rest of the day. A spokesman for Aldersgate Investments, which owns it, said: "The helicopter involved in the accident was not scheduled to fly to the London Heliport.

"However, we received a request from Heathrow air traffic control to accept the helicopter, which had asked to be diverted due to bad weather."

He added: "The London Heliport never gained contact with the helicopter."

As the investigation of the accident continues, the wreckage remains on the street, and cordons are still in place.

Our correspondent Jeremy Cooke is on board the BBC News helicopter over central London and says an air exclusion zone is around the scene. Visibility has improved since early this morning.

A spokesman for Berkeley Group which owns St George, the development company for the building, said in a statement: "Our thoughts at this time are with the friends and families of those killed in this tragic incident."

Julian Firth, principal inspector with AAIB, said there was a team of six inspectors and support staff at the scene of the helicopter crash in Vauxhall, just south of central London.

Mr Firth of the AAIB said it could be several months before a definitive report was completed.

Once an inspection was complete on the ground, the wreckage would be removed to the AAIB's facility at Farnborough, Hants, Mr Firth said.

Julian Firth of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) at the scene of the Vauxhall helicopter crash. He said: "We're going to be trying to build a picture of the operational and mechanical aspects of the occurrence."

The Vauxhall helicopter crash - what we know:

• Two people have died after a twin-engine helicopter crashed into St George's Tower near Vauxhall at 08:00 GMT
• One of the dead was the pilot, while the other was on the ground. Neither have yet been identified
• Thirteen people were injured. The London Ambulance Service say six needed hospital treatment and seven were treated at the scene for cuts, bruises and shock
• The helicopter has en route from Redhill in Surrey to Elstree, but was diverted to the London Heliport in Battersea due to bad weather
• The top of the tower was shrouded in cloud at the time of the crash. Air Accident Investigators are on the scene to establish what caused the accident
• Nearby homes have been evacuated while the area is made safe

That's it for our rolling coverage of the London helicopter crash. You can keep up to date with the latest developments here and watch updates on the BBC News Channel and BBC Radio 5 live.