A helicopter crashed into a construction crane atop a new luxury residential building in thick London fog Wednesday, killing the pilot and another person and sparking a line of flames as it plunged to the ground.
Thirteen others were injured in the crash that took place near a busy intersection at the height of the morning rush hour in Vauxhall, south of the River Thames in central London.
Thick smoke and flames billowed into the sky as traffic ground to a halt and emergency workers rushed to the scene, not far from landmarks like the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament.
The bent crane dangled from the building top, prompting police to cordon off roads in the area and evacuate residents and office workers. Many watched, horrified, from the street and office windows as the drama unfolded.
"I was standing outside having a cigarette when I saw the helicopter flying super fast towards the crane," said Rezart Islami, a builder who was working across the road from the 52-story building. "The pilot appeared not to have seen the crane because the helicopter hit it and went bang."
Islami said the rotor blade snapped off, and the copter spun to the ground and burst into flames.
"The top off the crane also came off in the impact," he said. "It all happened so fast, it was unbelievable."
Another eyewitness recounted seeing rescuers pull three injured people from two burning cars.
"It is something of a miracle that this was not many, many times worse given the time of day," said police commander Neil Basu.
Vauxhall, not far from Westminster, is where a new U.S. Embassy is being built. The area, which is a mix of industrial, business and residential use, is also home to the riverside headquarters of the UK intelligence service, MI6.
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