Helicopter crashes in Los Angeles, resulting in three fatalities

A helicopter belonging to an NBC news affiliate crashed while covering a traffic accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. The cause of the crash is currently unclear. The incident occurred near a storage building in the Chatsworth neighborhood, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. At least three people were reported killed, and a fourth was injured. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department stated that at least one person was killed in the parking lot next to the building, and it remains uncertain if the other two victims were on the ground or inside the helicopter. Officials are currently investigating the wreckage. 'We're trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter,' said spokesperson Branden Silverman. The local NBC affiliate confirmed that the helicopter, NewsChopper4, was en route to cover a collision between an SUV and a city bus that resulted in two fatalities. There has been no immediate confirmation of the identity of those on board the helicopter, and NBC reported it has been unable to contact the crew. Reporters at the scene of the bus accident noted that the helicopter crashed approximately one mile (1.6 kilometers) away. The fire department dispatched dozens of firefighters to the scene, who quickly extinguished the flames. Aerial footage revealed parts of the helicopter's tail and rotor among storage containers and vehicles. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have initiated an investigation into the cause of the crash. Helicopters are commonly used in Los Angeles for live aerial coverage of news events in the city.