At least one dead in Hudson River helicopter crash

At least one person is dead after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York, authorities said on Thursday.

The New York police department said at least two people were pulled from the water, though their condition remains unclear, an official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. It is not clear if the person reported dead was one of the two people pulled from the river.

Marine and land units are on the scene of the crash but it remains unclear how many people were on board.

Video circulating on social media shows some debris floating in the river.

The crash which occurred around 15:15 EDT (20:15 GMT) happened closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

The site of the crash appears to be near Pier 40 in New York City.

Boat traffic and street traffic in the area has been stopped.

A BBC journalist who was at the top of the World Trade Center at the time of the crash said there were about a dozen boats surrounding the site of the crash.

Tourists atop the building had gathered on one side of the tower to look down at the site of the crash, he added.