Three killed as news helicopter crashes in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Fire Department said Tuesday that three people were killed and a fourth hospitalized after a helicopter crashed and caught fire in the Chatsworth neighborhood while covering a fatal bus accident, with federal authorities now investigating the cause. The aircraft went down Tuesday evening while covering the scene of a major bus crash that had left at least two people dead, according to local media reports.

Federal probe launched

"Four patients have been assessed. Three patients have been determined deceased on scene. One patient has been transported to a local hospital in unknown condition," the department said in a statement. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will handle the investigation, it added.

Unconfirmed details

Local media reported the helicopter belonged to NBC Los Angeles and was broadcasting live coverage of the bus crash when it went down.

Captain Branden Silverman from the LAFD told reporters he did not want to speculate that it was a news helicopter "because we have not confirmed that yet." The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the downed helicopter was not one of theirs.