3 dead after news helicopter crashes in Los Angeles near site of earlier fatal bus collision
Two other people were killed in an earlier bus collision nearby.
At least three people were killed after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening near the scene of an earlier fatal bus collision that left two people dead, authorities said, in what LA Mayor Karen Bass called a tragic day for the city.
Both incidents occurred in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
"This is a heartbreaking night for our city," Bass said at a somber news conference late Tuesday.
NBC Los Angeles confirmed that the helicopter that crashed was its NewsChopper. KNBC anchor Colleen Williams identified two of those who were killed, saying on air that they were reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw.
In addition to the three people who died at the scene of the helicopter crash, one person was taken to the hospital, the fire department said.
One of the people killed in that crash was a pedestrian on the ground, an LAFD spokesperson said earlier.
The earlier bus crash occurred about 5 p.m. local time about a block and half away, involving a Metro bus and an SUV. That crash left two people dead and several others injured, authorities said.
Multiple news helicopters and reporters were at the scene of that fatal collision when shortly before 7 p.m. local time, the helicopter went down between two commercial buildings in a fiery blaze.
The fire department said four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged by fire before firefighters put out the flames.
The cause of the helicopter crash is not known.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will investigate, authorities said.
ABC News' Jennifer Watts and Vanessa Navarrete contributed to this report.
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