Helicopter crashes in central London

A helicopter has crashed in central London today.

Emergency services were called to the scene, near the River Thames at Vauxhall, after reports that the aircraft had hit a crane and cartwheeled before bursting into flames.

It is thought the helicopter may have hit two cars. There were also reports that there was only one person in the helicopter.

Video footage shot on a mobile phone showed an entire road blocked by burning wreckage and aviation fuel.

The side of a building on one side of the street was also damaged by the flames.

Passers-by stood watching as the wreckage burned.

A motorcycle was also lying on its side in the road having been abandoned.

One eyewitness reported seeing cars on fire and hearing people screaming.

A plume of smoke billowed into the sky above the area this morning.

Fire and rescue services said they were taking “lots of emergency calls” as eyewitnesses described seeing grey smoke towering into the sky, close to Battersea Bridge, in Vauxhall.

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade was unable to give details but said: “We are taking lots of emergency calls at the moment”.

A Met police spokesman said: “We had a call at approximately 8am this morning and we are dealing with an incident.

“We are still waiting for some further details at the moment.”

Eyewitnesses took to Twitter to report details.

One said the helicopter appeared to have hit a crane.

Another said it crashed close to a railway line.

One user posted a dramatic photograph showing burning wreckage in the road.

London Fire Brigade said on Twitter: ``We're attending reports of a helicopter crash near Wandsworth Road in South Lambeth.''

Paul Ferguson, who was working in an office near the incident, told BBC News: ``There was a flash and the helicopter plunged to the ground. It exploded and you can imagine the smoke coming out of it.

“It was probably heading from the nearby heliport. It may be that on this misty morning the lights on nearby St George’s Tower weren’t on and it moved and clipped the edge of the crane and lost control.”

Eyewitness Chris Matthison told BBC News: “There was some damage to the crane. It’s possible the crane is lying across Nine Elms road.

“The top of the nearest building is steeped in mist and difficult to see.”

He added: “I heard a very unusual dull thud, then there was silence. The silence really took my imagination. Emergency services responded very quickly.”

Commuter Sherna Noah described seeing a ``large plume of dark grey smoke'' as she crossed Battersea Bridge at around 8am.

She said: “I was coming across the bridge and basically I could see a few cyclists on the bridge looking towards the water.

“I looked over to see what they were looking at and could see a pall of grey smoke coming from the south side.

“You could see a large plume of dark grey smoke.”

A woman who answered the phone at the London Heliport, in Battersea, would not comment on the fire.

Some eyewitnesses said the helicopter appeared to have hit a crane on a newly-built tower block on the south bank of the Thames at Vauxhall Cross.

People took to Twitter to report gridlocked traffic in the area, with emergency services struggling to get through.

Erin Rogers was waiting at a bus stop outside Vauxhall station.

He told BBC News: “It was a bit surreal actually. I just had a coffee in my hand, I looked up, heard a bang and saw bits of crane debris falling to the floor.

“Then the helicopter was in flames. The rest of the people at the bus station were looking on going ’What was that?’.

“It’s something I will never forget for a long time.”

The First Capital Connect train company warned its passengers to expect travel difficulties in the Vauxhall area, although its services were not affected.

Flying conditions this morning were reflected in the fact that London City Airport in Docklands had delays due to poor visibility.