WATCH helicopter slam into radio tower in US

A helicopter crashed into a radio tower in the US city of Houston, Texas, on Sunday evening, leaving four people including a child dead, the local authorities have said, adding that were no casualties on the ground.

Nearby security camera caught the crash as it happened. Multiple videos made by locals also appear to show the aftermath of the accident.

The fatal accident occurred just before 8pm local time, when a privately owned R44 helicopter struck a radio tower in the city’s Greater East End neighborhood after taking off from Ellington Field, about 24km away, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said at a press conference.

According to Houston mayor John Whitmire, it is fortunate that the tragic incident wasn’t worse, given that there was gas tank and residential buildings near the crash site.

The tower “is surrounded by residents and that’s where we were very fortunate that it didn’t topple in one direction or another,” Whitmire said. “The fireball was pretty much isolated.”

After the radio tower collapsed, a fire the size of two or three city blocks ignited in a grass field, Fire Department Chief Thomas Munoz said, adding that emergency responders were at the scene within minutes.

The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.