Saturday, November 30, 2013

Glasgow chopper crash kills 8, injures at least 14

4:57 PM    No comments

This photo of the incident has not yet been verified.
A helicopter crashed into The Clutha. Source: Twitter
The remains of the helicopter, clearly displaying its police label, on the roof of the pub.The remains of the helicopter, clearly displaying its police label, on the roof of the pub. Source: Supplied

SCOTTISH police say eight people are now confirmed dead following the crash of a police helicopter into a crowded Glasgow pub.
The chopper smashed into the roof of The Clutha pub on Friday night, where more than 100 revellers had packed in to watch a band play ahead of St. Andrew's Day, Scotland's national day celebrating its patron saint.
Chief Constable Stephen House says all those aboard the helicopter - two officers and a civilian pilot - died when the aircraft crashed into the roof of The Clutha pub and five other people were killed on the ground.
He said on Saturday that 14 injured people remain in Glasgow hospitals following the crash at 10:25pm (9:25am Saturday AEDT).
The scene of the crash.
The scene of the crash. Source: Twitter
As of Saturday morning, it appeared that no Australians were hurt in the crash.
"We are not aware of any Australians involved," a spokeswoman for the Australian High Commission in London said.
"We remain in contact with the Scottish authorities."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said UK authorities had not advised it of any Australians affected "at this stage".
The view from the top of the pub.
The view from the top of the pub. Source: Twitter
Witnesses said the helicopter dropped like a stone, while people inside the pub heard a whoosh before the roof caved in and the air filled with dust and screams.
Emergency services worked through the night in a bid to recover people from the wreckage.
A photographer at the scene said the helicopter appeared to have smashed through the top of the bar, with a rotor blade sticking out of the roof.
The site by the banks of the River Clyde had been cordoned off, with emergency service workers visible on the roof Saturday. A tarpaulin had been placed over the area where the helicopter hit.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond called it a "black day" for the nation as emergency service workers tried to make the one-storey building secure enough to permit full access to the scene.
A sombre Mr Salmond - who just days earlier was celebrating the release of a legal blueprint for Scottish independence - sent his condolences to the bereaved and solidarity to those injured.
"This is a black day for Glasgow and for Scotland. But it's also St. Andrew's Day and it's a day we can take pride and courage in how we respond to adversity and tragedy," the nationalist leader said.
He praised the "instinctive courage of ordinary Glaswegians going to assist their fellow citizens in extremity".
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has sent a team to the scene to try to work out why the Eurocopter EC135 T2 helicopter crashed.
Witnesses told of confusion, terror and then bravery after the accident.
Grace MacLean, who was inside the pub at the time of the crash, told the BBC that the revellers were listening to a ska band.
"We were all just having a nice time and then there was like a 'whoosh' noise - there was no bang, there was no explosion," she said.
"And then there was some smoke, what seemed like smoke. The band were laughing and we were all joking that the band had made the roof come down.
"They carried on playing and then it started to come down more and someone started screaming and then the whole pub just filled with dust. You couldn't see anything, you couldn't breathe."
The nine-piece band, Esperanza, said on their Facebook page that they were all well.
"Despite the situation everyone was so helpful and caring of each other. The police, ambulances, firefighters all did a stellar job," they said.
Britain's former Europe minister Jim Murphy told the BBC he was driving through the area shortly after the incident. 
"I jumped out and tried to help. There were people with injuries. Bad gashes to the head. Some were unconscious. I don't know how many," he said, his shirt bloodied.
Mr Murphy, who is the opposition Labour Party's international development spokesman, said he and others formed a human chain to get survivors out of the bar.
"The helicopter was inside the pub. It's a mess. I could only get a yard or two inside. I helped carry people out." 
Gordon Smart, who edits the Scottish edition of The Sun newspaper, said he saw the helicopter coming down.
"It looked like it was dropping from a great height at a great speed," he told Sky News television.
"There was no fireball and I did not hear an explosion. It fell like a stone. The engine seemed to be spluttering." 
Pubgoer William Byrne said the roof collapsed shortly after he heard a loud niose.
In the initial confusion, "I thought 'has the band blown something electrical like a speaker?' Mr Byrne told the BBC."I was just coming back from the other side of the pub and there was a huge bang.
"There was a couple of seconds of almost stillness after this bang and then the whole other side of the pub collapsed in on itself, the roof and the gantry of the bar collapsed.
"The side we were in was covered in dust but, from debris, relatively unscathed," he said, with the bar going dark.
"The left hand side of the pub just collapsed. People on our side of the pub were so, so lucky.
"I went outside, we held the door open, trying to make people to file out one by one.
"We've gone back in and helped lift the gantry up and get a few people out."
Brendan Riordan said it had been tough to move in the bar with the amount of people enjoying the concert.
He told the BBC he heard "a very loud bang" before a cloud of dust filled the pub.
"I was on the right side of the pub where the band were performing", adding that the central and left sides had caved in.
"After I exited the pub I saw people coming out covered in blood and covered in dust.
"There were people quite desperate and just before I left the inside of the pub I noticed that the ceiling had fallen towards the bar.
"People were not aware that a helicopter had crash-landed on the pub."
Retired firefighter Edward Waltham ran inside to help with the rescue effort.
"I helped grab a couple of people. One gentleman in particular who was completely covered in dust, who had very shallow breathing and appeared to be quite badly injured." he told the BBC.
"My initial reaction for him from my experience was to try not to move him because he had been in a crush situation.

"But as we were lying there other people were literally being pulled out of the pub and more or less thrown on top of us."
SOURCE:NEWS
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