One Fatality After Helicopter Crash Lands On Building Roof In New York City
10 June 2019, 19:19 | Updated: 10 June 2019, 20:16
One person has died after a helicopter crash landed on the roof of a building in midtown Manhattan, authorities confirm.
Emergency services in New York are responding to a helicopter crash at the top of a building between Times Square and Central Park.
A spokesperson for the New York Fire Department said there has been one fatality after a helicopter made a 'hard landing' on the roof of a building on 7th Avenue.
A fire on the roof of the building was extinguished, and fire fighters "continue to operate in response to fuel leaking from the helicopter".
Police in New York have shut down an area of midtown Manhattan, which is close to Trump Tower on 5th Avenue.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters: "There was a helicopter that made a forced anding or an emergency landing on the roof of the building for one reason or another.
"People in the building said they felt the building shake."
Governor Cuomo added that "we do not know" how many people were in the helicopter, and that nobody from inside the building had been hurt.
White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said President Trump "has been briefed" on the incident and will "continue to monitor the situation".
The Federal Aviation Administration has also acknowledged the incident, saying they are "gathering information about an accident".
#FDNY confirms a helicopter has crash-landed onto the roof of 787 7th Ave in Manhattan. The fire has been extinguished, and members continue to operate in response to fuel leaking from the helicopter. There is currently one fatality reported.
— FDNY (@FDNY) June 10, 2019
The City of New York Emergency Management Agency said the city's Fire Department was responding to a helicopter crash landing at 7th Ave and West 51st Street.
They warned New Yorkers to expect road closures and a heavy presence of emergency personnel, including a southbound closure on 7th Avenue between West 52nd Street and West 57th Street in Manhattan.
Details about the helicopter and the cause of the crash are not yet known.
The building the helicopter landed on is known as the AXA Equitable Centre, which houses the US headquarters of AXA Financial, and offices for BNP Paribas and Citibank.
This is a developing news story, check back for the latest.
