Thick smoke envelops the site of the helicopter crash in central London yesterday.
Reuters/London
A helicopter crashed into a crane on top of one of Europe’s tallest residential blocks yesterday, killing two people as it burst into flames and spiralled down into rush-hour traffic close to the Houses of Parliament in central London.
Police said there was nothing to suggest a terrorism link to the crash on a foggy morning on the south bank of the River Thames, less than a mile from parliament, its secret services headquarters and the site of a new US embassy.
In parliament, later in the day, Prime Minister David Cameron said helicopter flights over a city with an increasing number of huge skyscrapers needed to be carefully examined.
“There was a big bang and bits started showering down, then there was an explosion down the road,” said truck driver Ray Watts whose vehicle was hit by falling debris. “We saw the fireball down there and the smoke. We didn’t know what way to run because there were bits coming down everywhere.”
Witnesses said the helicopter hit a crane on top of the as-yet unoccupied 185-metre high cylindrical block - The Tower, One St George Wharf - spun out of control, fell to the ground and burst into flames, setting nearby buildings alight.
Wreckage was strewn across roads close to Vauxhall train station, a major transport hub near the south bank of the River Thames, which was packed with thousands of commuters at the time of the incident shortly after 0800GMT.
Tangled bits of crane could be seen hanging off the side of the tower, the top of which was still shrouded by low cloud an hour after the crash.
“It is something of a miracle that this was not many, many times worse given the time of day that this happened,” police Commander Neil Basu told reporters.
The fire service said it had rescued one man from a burning car.
Basu said the helicopter was believed to be on a commercial flight from Redhill, south of the capital, to Elstree, home to famous British film studios north of London, but had been diverted to a heliport near the crash site. He said there were 13 casualties.
The pilot was one of those killed and it was not thought anyone else was on board. One other person was found dead near the wreckage.
The helicopter involved was an Italian-made twin-engined AgustaWestland 109, the company’s best-selling VIP corporate helicopter, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Edmir Pishtar, who was in a van outside the site, said he spoke to the operator who was about to get into the crane cab. “He was literally shaking because he was getting ready to climb into the crane and he was late,” Pishtar said.
Roads around the area including a route over the Thames were closed off, and bus and rail services were affected.
The department of transport’s crash investigation unit said it had launched an inquiry and it could be several months before it produced a definitive report. Neither the tower’s developer, Berkeley Group, nor police would speculate on the cause of the crash.
Helicopters should normally fly 500 feet above tall structures. Despite its proximity to landmarks such as the headquarters of Britain’s MI6 international intelligence agency, police quickly ruled out an attack by militants.
Witnesses tell of terror from the sky as wreckage crashes
Workers and commuters yesterday told how they had to run for their lives as the helicopter and parts of the crane came crashing down.
Michael Krumstets was on his way to work when he saw the aircraft hurtling towards him. “The helicopter nearly killed me and my flatmate,” he said. “We were right next to it, just feet away from where it exploded. We were walking to work and saw the helicopter clip the top of the crane — there was a loud crack — and it came spinning out of control towards us. I just can’t believe what I saw, it was awful.
“When you see a helicopter hurtling out of the sky towards you, spinning, your legs turn to jelly, you have a sense of shock. My flatmate fell over, I had to run back to grab him. It missed us by just a few feet, it was just so lucky.”
Krumstets, 45, who works for courier company, added: “Nobody would have got out of there alive. It would have been impossible. It hit the crane and then it hit the building.
“It crashed on one side of the road and we were on the other. Someone else was in shock, they had come off their bike, we ran back to help them and give them water.”
Chloe Dooknah, 19, said the helicopter exploded when it hit the ground and appeared to strike two cars, one of them a Mini. “There was metal flying everywhere. It narrowly missed a train that was going over the bridge. People were running out of their cars. The guys from the building site were helping evacuate everybody before the police arrived. The whole road was on fire, people were screaming and also lots of people were also trying to help.”
Raphael Hudson, who was at the nearby Covent Garden flower market, said the whole road caught fire. He added: “It was just alight, it was really, really horrible. There were people running around. I looked behind me and there were bits of crane hanging off. I lost my bearings because there was so much smoke.”
Others said they feared a bomb had gone off. Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan told BBC News: “I heard a bang and thought it could be an explosion. The black smoke really meant this is not right. I wondered if it was a bomb explosion. It sounded like a building coming down or being hit.”
Cleaner Fernando Carmona, 44, said the flames were three storeys high and caused “sheer panic”.
Builder Charlie Lawrence, 23, rushed to help the walking wounded, steering people away from leaking petrol. He said: “There were flames and lots of confused people needing help. There were cars and motorbikes across the road. It was a disaster scene, what more can I say? I tried to do what I could to help.”
The crane was on top of The Tower, One St George Wharf, which will be Britain’s highest residential building when it is completed and one of the tallest in Europe at just under 600 feet. It was given the go ahead by John Prescott in 2005 in a decision that overruled Lambeth council and the planning inspector amid concerns about its height and proximity to the Houses of Parliament.
Work on the building started in 2010 and is due to be finished next year with 223 flats.
A spokesman for developer St George said: “We can confirm a helicopter collided with a crane at St George Wharf at 8am. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those killed or injured in this tragic incident. Emergency services are on the scene and authorities are investigating the circumstances. We are offering our full support and assistance to the emergency services.”
One worker in an office overlooking the tower said: “I saw a flash and the helicopter plunged to the ground. You can imagine the smoke that came out of it. I think it was heading to the heliport. It is one of the tallest residential towers. I imagine in this misty morning the lights weren’t on or he couldn’t see them.
“The helicopter completely exploded. It fell on the Wandsworth Road very close to the mainline.”
Michael Gavin was waiting for a train. He said: “I heard the bang and saw the body of the helicopter falling to the ground along with parts of the crane. It obviously looked very serious.”
Rob Easton, an electrician, said: “I heard a great explosion and saw smoke reflected in the windows. People were panicking and worrying. It was bedlam. It is one of the worst things I have seen in real life. A lot of girls broke down in tears. It shook everyone up.”
Another witness said he saw the impact between the crane and helicopter, adding: “It was making a terrible noise and then got lower and lower before crashing. It was really frightening and terrible to see. It was like something out of a film.”
Chris Matheson said he heard a loud thud as the helicopter hit the crane, and then there was silence. He added: “There was suddenly an unusual thudding sound and then silence which caught my imagination the most and made me worry there was a real problem.
“There was a very thick tall plume of smoke in the immediate aftermath and quite a severe fire burning.”
BELOW: A damaged car is surrounded by debris from a crashed helicopter in Vauxhall.
