Investigations have begun into the fatal crash of a Eurocopter EC135T2 helicopter operated by police Scotland which crashed on the roof of a busy city centre pub in Glasgow.
Thirty-two people have been taken to hospitals across the city, says Strathclyde Police, and one fatality has been confirmed. "We expect that number to increase over the coming hours," says chief constable Stephen House.
There were three people on board the helicopter. The incident occurred at around 22:25 local on 29 November.
The pub, the Clutha Vaults, was packed at the time with people attending a concert.
Officials from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch are attending the crash site.
Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick says: “A full investigation is now underway however at this early stage it is too early to provide details on why the helicopter came down. There were three people on board the helicopter – two police officers and a civilian pilot and on a busy Friday night, there were a number of customers in the bar.
“We are working hard to recover people still inside the building and we will make further details available when we have them.”
Flightglobal's Ascend Online database lists the helicopter as a 2007-built example operated on behalf of Police Scotland by Bond Air Services, registration G-SPAO. The 2.9t EC135 is powered by two Turbomeca Arrius 2B2 engines and has accumulated 4,401h.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
