A helicopter crashed in Manhattan on Monday, killing one, but the governor said there was no terrorist assumption
One person died when a helicopter landed on the roof of a skyscraper in the heart of Manhattan on the 7th Avenue on Monday, New York firefighters said .
#FDNY confirms a helicopter has crash-landed onto the roof of 787 7th Ave in Manhattan. The fire has been extinguished, and members continue to operate in response to fuel leaking from the helicopter. There is currently one fatality reported.
— FDNY (@FDNY) June 10, 2019
Images from the scene of today’s helicopter crash at 787 7th Ave. in Manhattan. #FDNY members remain on scene. There is one fatality reported. pic.twitter.com/7qyyJWrMsw
— FDNY (@FDNY) June 10, 2019
The causes of the accident, which occurred on a 54-storey tower, while the city was covered with heavy fog, were not immediately known and were being investigated by both and the NTSB, the federal agency responsible for transport safety, said Mayor Bill de Blasio during a press briefing. Some media claimed that a ban on flying was in effect in this area at that time due to lack of visibility.
ADVISORY: Please avoid the area of West 51st and 7th Ave due to an ongoing police investigation. Expect an emergency vehicles and traffic in the area. Update to follow. pic.twitter.com/13gYd1hHI9
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 10, 2019
According to several witnesses, the landing of the helicopter shook the entire tower and the shock was heard in the surrounding buildings.
“We felt the impact,” Nathan Hutton, who works in the skyscraper, told AFP. “It was 1:35 pm We felt the whole building move. We thought it was an earthquake or something like that. Then, two minutes later, the alarms sounded and the security arrived: “Take all your bags and leave immediately”.
Mr. Hutton, 59, said there was no panic but “a little nervousness”, especially since it took thirty minutes for everyone to get out of the building, and many remember the attacks of the World Trade Center, transformed into gigantic fire on September 11, 2001.
“You have to understand: look at the World Trade Center, how many people got stuck trying to get out of the building. They (evacuated people, Ed.) Thought the same thing, “he explained.
While waiting to know the cause of the accident, many evoked the possibility of prohibiting overflights of the very densely populated island that is Manhattan.