3 people killed when NBC news helicopter crashes while covering fatal LA bus accident

A local NBC news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials and the station say.

Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during live broadcasts that the station’s chopper went down just before 7 p.m. and two people on the helicopter were killed.

“We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later, their coverage abruptly cut off.

Fire officials, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other politicians spoke during a news conference Tuesday night but gave no details on who perished in the crash. After the news conference, the mayor and other officials embraced a crying NBC reporter who was also hugged by fellow journalists.

The helicopter crashed near a large storage facility in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering a bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

At least one person killed in the helicopter crash was outside in the parking lot next to the commercial building, said Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Two people were transported to a hospital, said Rico A. Gross, a fire department battalion chief. Their conditions were not immediately released.