A helicopter has plunged into the Hudson River in New York.
The incident took place around 3.15pm Eastern Time today (April 10), when the helicopter descended near Jersey City, with numerous rescue boats quickly converging on the scene.
There has yet to be an official statement regarding the number of individuals who were aboard the helicopter or any potential fatalities.
One eyewitness recounted the event by saying, “It sounded like a sonic boom so I look up and literally I saw helicopter splitting in 2, with the rotor flying off in the sky it was going so fast and it just went straight into the water.” The witness described their experience of hearing the tragic event and witnessing its immediate aftermath.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” the eyewitness added.
Footage shared on social media depicted the aircraft submerged and upside down in the water.
The fire department has reported that its units are at the location conducting rescue operations. Video footage from the scene shows several rescue boats encircling the helicopter.
The rescue efforts are taking place at a site near the Manhattan waterfront, adjacent to the end of a maintenance pier for one of the ventilation towers of the Holland Tunnel.
Emergency responders, including fire engines and other vehicles, have gathered near the scene, with their lights flashing.
The skies above Manhattan are often busy with both private and commercial aircraft, including tourist flights and recreational helicopters.
There are several helipads around Manhattan that facilitate quick transportation for business executives and others across the metro area.
Historically, the area has experienced multiple aerial incidents, such as a 2009 collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River that resulted in nine fatalities, and a 2018 charter helicopter crash in the East River that claimed five lives.
Earlier this year, an American Airlines-owned plane was involved in a collision with a military helicopter in Washington DC on January 29, marking the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001, killing all 67 individuals involved.
Following this, a medical jet crash in Philadelphia occurred two days later, killing all six passengers onboard.
On February 6, a plane with ten individuals went missing over Alaska, and the wreckage was later found with no survivors.
In Arizona on February 10, a private plane owned by Vince Neil collided with another aircraft at Scottsdale Airport as it was arriving from Austin, Texas. Vince Neil was not present on the flight.
A week later, on February 17, a Delta Air Lines flight carrying 80 passengers crashed and overturned in Toronto, but all were safely evacuated.