current affairs

Helicopter crashes at The Clutha pub in Glasgow

11 years ago
by Alex Veeneman

A helicopter has crashed on top of The Clutha pub in Glasgow, located on the banks of the River Clyde.

A helicopter has crashed on top of The Clutha pub in Glasgow, located on the banks of the River Clyde. The helicopter crashed Friday night at 10.25 pm, and there were three people, two police officers and a civilian, in the helicopter, according to Police Scotland.

Around 120 people were in The Clutha listening to the band Esperanza when the crash occurred. The band wrote on their Facebook page that the band members were okay, and their concerns were the safety of everyone else.

Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick, in a press conference, said her thoughts were with those affected as well as the emergency services.

Fitzpatrick said there were a number of casualties but did not give details on numbers or conditions. “We are coordinating the operation tonight with colleagues from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Ambulance Service, who are working to make the scene safe and recover people from the scene,” Fitzpatrick said. “That rescue operation is clearly ongoing. It is too early at this stage to provide any details around why the helicopter came down.”

Fitzpatrick added that an investigation into the crash is underway.

Lewis Ramsay, Assistant Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said 125 firefighters were at the perimeter of the building and inside the building. Ramsay added it was hard to determine how many people were trapped in The Clutha at the time of the incident, and declined to discuss specific conditions.

There was a previous report that 9 people were being treated from the incident at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

A spokesperson for the Infirmary declined to comment.

Kenneth Watt was on the scene briefly as he was heading home from a night out. Watt told Kettle the area was packed with emergency services. “The police line was far back,” Watt said. “The area was packed with standers by and 15 fire crews. Across Glasgow it was alive with sirens heading to the scene and emergency staff closing off streets.”

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond wrote on Twitter that people should be prepared for fatalities. Leaders across the UK tweeted their sympathies.

Police Scotland have set up a phone number for people concerned about relatives who were in the area at the time.

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