Helicopter crashes leaving 5 dead - chopper plunges into busy motorway
AT LEAST five people have been killed in a dramatic crash after a helicopter hit a television tower and plunged onto a busy motorway.
Tragic scenes of site where helicopter crashed killing five
The chopper was carrying multiple high-level business executives when it came down in the residential Buyukcekmece district of Istanbul, Turkey.
City governor Vasip Sahin said the helicopter, which belonged to a private company, crashed after taking off from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.
Seven people were believed to be on board the helicopter
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter then smashed into a TV aerial and came down on a highway on the edge of the city.
Seven people were believed to be on board the flight - including four Russian nationals, a Turkish citizen and two pilots.
No-one on the ground appeared to have been affected.
But the identity of the victims, including the five confirmed dead, was not immediately clear.
Video footage from the site showed thick black smoke rising from the highway and the flaming wreckage scattered on the road.
Five people have been confirmed dead after the crash
Parts of the burned out helicopter remain scattered across the road
Eyewitness Fikret Karatekin, a taxi driver, told CNN-Turk the highway had been closed off, adding: “It hit the tower and crashed by spinning,”
The cause of the crash is now under investigation.
However local reports claimed the crash could have been caused by heavy fog and poor visibility, leading to the aircraft smashing into the turned-off transmission tower.
The chopper was owned by Turkish conglomerate Eczacibasi Group, which deals in pharmaceuticals and household products.
Billows of smoke can be seen from across the city
Thick smoke billows from site of Istanbul helicopter crash
And the company confirmed Eczacibasi Vitra Russia CEO Salim Özen and four Russian guests identified as Aleksandır Vanin, Igor Kochergin, Luidmina Churova and Elena Badraga were on board - along with two Turkish pilots.
Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı said: “One manager and four Russian guests were on board.”
The helicopter was heading to the Bozüyük district of the northwestern province of Bilecik to bring the passengers to a facility belonging to the group there.
The chopper was owned by Turkish conglomerate Eczacibasi Group
Video footage from the site showed thick black smoke rising from the highway
Parts of the doomed flight exploded into flames following the crash
It had taken off at 11:16 am but crashed just five minutes later, Doğan News Agency reported.
Local media quoted the district’s mayor Hasan Akgun saying he saw the bodies lying at the crash site.
Buyukcekmece is situated on the northwestern side of the city and contains an industrial area and residential neighborhoods.
The E5 highway, which runs through the district, was closed after debris landed on the road and burst into flames, with plumes of thick, black smoke billowing into the sky.