Six people have died after a tourist helicopter crashed in the Hudson River near lower Manhattan.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said a family - two adults and three children - from Spain and the pilot were recovered from the aircraft.
Upon arriving at the scene, officials began searching the water for any victims or survivors, Adams told reporters.
Immediate life-saving efforts were made, but they were not successful.
According to officials, four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two were later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Emergency services at the scene in the Hudson RiverGetty/Reuters/X
The site of the crash in New York
Getty
Chilling videos show the helicopter flipping completely upside down, submerged and bubbling beneath the 50-degree water's surface following the crash.
Eyewitnesses wrote on social media: "The chopper broke off midair and dropped!"
A spokesman from the NYPD said: "Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas."
Video of the crash site showed several emergency and police boats circling around a patch of river where the helicopter was submerged.
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Rescue workers and emergency personnel work at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River
Reuters
Rescue workers and emergency personnel work at the scene of a helicopter crash
Reuters
Video posted on social media appeared to show flotation devices deployed on the helicopter's landing gear in the water.
However, the craft has since disappeared below the water.
CBS News reports the helicopter came apart in mid-air and plunged into the water with debris visible from the helicopter. A man who saw the crash said "the chopper blade flew off".
"I don't know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped," Avi Rakesh told NBC News.
Rescue teams at the scene
Reuters
The chopper has been identified by Federal Aviation Administration as a Bell 206 helicopter.
ABC News reports it was on its sixth flight of the day.
Mayor Adams said: "Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard. All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased."
