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| Two die in helicopter crane crash in Vauxhall, London | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Two people have died after a helicopter crashed into a crane at a building site in central London in misty conditions, police have said. | |
| Police said it appeared the helicopter had hit the crane on top of a building at about 08:00 GMT. | |
| London Fire Brigade said the crash happened near Wandsworth Road in South Lambeth and 60 firefighters were there. | |
| Burning wreckage lay in the road, with all approaches to the Vauxhall Cross one way system closed. | |
| The incident caused gridlock as roads were closed at the height of the rush hour and Vauxhall Tube station and railway station have been closed. | |
| The fire brigade was also attending a second scene involving a crane in a precarious position on St George's Wharf. | |
| 'Enormous bang' | |
| 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 where it was abandoned. | |
| Ex-BBC producer Paul Ferguson said the helicopter "plummeted straight into the ground". | |
| He said: "The building the helicopter hit is shrouded in mist." | |
| He said the crane at the top of the building was now hanging down the side of the building. | He said the crane at the top of the building was now hanging down the side of the building. |
| Nicky Morgan, MP for Loughborough, witnessed the crash. | |
| "I was walking towards Vauxhall tube station from Lambeth Palace area where I have a flat," she said. | |
| "There was suddenly an enormous bang - I thought something exploded. | |
| "It was coming from beyond Vauxhall tube station. | |
| "Then clouds and clouds of black smoke. | |
| "I presumed what it was I heard was the crane collapsing or the helicopter crashing into it. | |
| 'Huge smoke cloud' | 'Huge smoke cloud' |
| "I heard the bang then saw the clouds of smoke but there was too much in the way to see much at that point." | |
| Some witnesses reported the wreckage hitting two cars. | |
| Witnesses reported seeing debris on the ground. | Witnesses reported seeing debris on the ground. |
| Quinn Murray was cycling when he saw the crash. | Quinn Murray was cycling when he saw the crash. |
| He said: "I saw the helicopter hit the top of the crane and come down just to the left of the station. | He said: "I saw the helicopter hit the top of the crane and come down just to the left of the station. |
| "There was quite a large amount of fire and a huge smoke cloud. It wasn't on the road, but into a building site where they are building the new Nine Elms area. | "There was quite a large amount of fire and a huge smoke cloud. It wasn't on the road, but into a building site where they are building the new Nine Elms area. |
| "There's a huge number of emergency services." | "There's a huge number of emergency services." |
| 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. | |
| "I heard a very unusual dull thud, then there was silence. The silence really took my imagination. Emergency services responded very quickly." | |
| Erin Rogers, who was waiting at a bus stop outside Vauxhall station, said: "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." | |
| Commuter Sherna Noah described seeing a "large plume of dark grey smoke" as she crossed Battersea Bridge at about 08:00 GMT. | Commuter Sherna Noah described seeing a "large plume of dark grey smoke" as she crossed Battersea Bridge at about 08:00 GMT. |
| She said: "I was coming across the bridge and basically I could see a few cyclists on the bridge looking towards the water. | 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. | "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." | "You could see a large plume of dark grey smoke." |
| The Met told the BBC there was no suggestion the incident was linked to terrorism. | |
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