Five people, including one child, were reportedly hospitalized after a helicopter crashed down at Huntington Beach in California on Saturday (October 11), CBS News reports.
Local firefighters said the helicopter crashed into trees in a parking lot shortly after 2:00 p.m. local time. Two people were reportedly pulled from the wreckage and three pedestrians were also reported to have experienced injuries, with all five receiving treatment at a hospital, though none of their conditions were known publicly, city officials confirmed to CBS News.
Pacific Coast Highway was closed between Huntington Street and Beach Boulevard at around 3:00 p.m. local time as authorities investigated the crash. The public was advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes several hours after the closure began.
Video shared online showed the helicopter flying extremely low before quickly spinning out multiple times and crashing into palm trees and the outdoor stairway of a pedestrian bridge.
Additional footage showed an object falling from the helicopter just before it crashed down. CBS Los Angeles' SkyCal chopper found scattered debris in the beach access parking lot, which had been blocked off by authorities during the investigation.
The tail of the crashed helicopter was reported to have broken off from the rest of the aircraft, which was still wedged between the line of palm trees and the staircase at around 4:30 p.m. local time. An "exclusive helicopter landing party" hosted by MD Helicopters at the Offshore 9 Rooftop Lounge was taking place at the time of the crash ahead of the Cars 'N Copters On the Coast main event Sunday (October 12), which organizers confirmed was still scheduled to take place.
"We are sending our prayers out to all involved in the unfortunate incident today," the event's organizaers said a statement obtained by CBS News. "Our plan for now is to move forward with our event tomorrow, Sunday, October 12th. We will advise everyone at the earliest possible opportunity if that plan changes."