New York: Helicopter crashes into Hudson River near Manhattan, pilot and family members from Spain killed

Six people were killed tonight when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York, near the Manhattan waterfront, a source told the Associated Press, Beta news agency reported.

The BBC reported that rescue services in New York said that there were three adults and three children on board the aircraft, and that the victims were the pilot and family members from Spain. All were confirmed dead.

American media outlet CBS earlier reported that at least six people were killed after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, BBC reports.

CBS reported at the time that there were at least three children and three adults on board the aircraft.

CBS reported that the bodies of six people were recovered from the crash site, and that the pilot's body was recovered from inside the aircraft.

Reuters reported that it was a tourist helicopter.

Jessica Tisch, the commissioner of the New York Police Department, said at a press conference that the names of the victims would not be released until their families had been notified, the BBC reported.

New York Mayor Eric Adams expressed his condolences.

"Our hearts are with the family," he said, according to the BBC.

He also referred to the "Miracle on the Hudson" in 2009, when a US Airways passenger plane landed on the same river and all 155 passengers survived.

"It almost looks like a plane coming down here on the Hudson River. Thank God we didn't lose any lives then," Adams said.

He said the investigation is ongoing.

"We pray for the families and thank the rescuers," he said.

Videos on social media show the aircraft upside down and mostly submerged.

Firefighters announced that a rescue operation is underway, and rescue boats can be seen circling the wreckage.

The crash site is located near the docks in Manhattan, at the end of a long quay used to maintain one of the ventilation towers for the Holland Tunnel that runs under the Hudson, Beta reported.

Fire trucks and ambulances with their flashing lights on are visible on land.

The skies above Manhattan are filled with planes and helicopters, both private and commercial, and there are several heliports in Manhattan for business people flying from one end of the vast New York City metropolitan area to the other.

Aircraft crashes in New York are not an uncommon occurrence, according to the Beta agency.

New York Representative Grace Meng said on social media that she felt "devastated to learn of the fatal helicopter crash in the Hudson River," Reuters reports.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said earlier that the Bell 206 helicopter had crashed and sunk into the Hudson River, adding that the number of people on board was still unknown.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

CBS reported that the helicopter flew over Governor's Island and then near the Statue of Liberty.

The BBC reported that it had reviewed other flights by this helicopter earlier in the day before it crashed, using the tracking website FlightAver.

According to the data, the helicopter made nine more short trips from Lower Manhattan on Thursday, most of which started and ended at the Midtown Manhattan Heliport. Most of the flights lasted only a few minutes, circling Manhattan Island, toward the Statue of Liberty, and then toward northern Manhattan near the George Washington Bridge before returning to its takeoff point. The longest flight lasted 25 minutes.

Reuters previously reported that a source told it that this was the helicopter's third trip on Thursday.

A New York City police spokesman said police boats were assisting with rescue efforts on the Hudson, but details such as the number of people on board were not immediately available, Reuters reported.

The accident occurred near the Tribeca neighborhood. New York City police said residents should expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in surrounding areas.