Three people killed after news helicopter crashes in Los Angeles

At least three people have been killed after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles near the scene of a fatal bus accident, officials have said.

Another person was taken to hospital in an unknown condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

It was not immediately clear whether some of the victims had been on the helicopter, while officials said at least one victim had been on the ground at the time of the crash.

Captain Branden Silverman, a spokesman for the LA Fire Department, said the incident occurred just before 7pm local time (3am UK time) on the 9100 block of North Mason Avenue in Chatsworth.

The aircraft crashed into a car park, causing a fire to break out, which damaged vehicles and two storage containers, the fire department said.

"We're trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter," Capt Silverman said.

NBC Los Angeles confirmed the helicopter was one of its news aircraft, while the cause of the crash is not yet known.

Several news helicopters were in the area at the time of the incident, covering an earlier crash involving an SUV and a bus in which two people were killed and six others were injured.

More than 50 firefighters responded to the helicopter crash, according to the fire department.

Capt Silverman described the helicopter as "pretty well destroyed" and said emergency teams were going to have to search through the rubble to determine how many victims were on board.

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said she was "absolutely devastated by the loss of life", adding that "my heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash".

Ms Bass paid tribute to the emergency teams who "responded so quickly" and urged the public to stay away from the area while officials remain on the scene.

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(c) Sky News 2026: Three people killed after news helicopter crashes in Los Angeles