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Police Chopper Crashes Into Crowded Glasgow Pub Police Chopper Crashes Into Crowded Glasgow Pub
(about 3 hours later)
At least 32 people were taken to the hospital and others were feared to have been killed, the police said on Saturday, after a police helicopter that apparently lost its power crashed through the roof of a busy pub in Glasgow Friday night. LONDON — A police helicopter that apparently lost power crashed through the roof of a crowded pub in Glasgow on Friday night, killing at least one person and injuring at least 32 others, police officials said.
The police said they were in contact with pubgoers who were still inside the damaged building, where a ska band was performing about 10:30 p.m. on Friday night when the helicopter, carrying two police officers and a civilian spun down onto the pub, The Clutha. Stephen House, the chief constable of the police in Scotland, said he expected the death toll to rise as the bodies of more pubgoers were brought from the damaged building. A ska band was performing at the pub, the Clutha, about 10:30 p.m. Friday when the helicopter, carrying two police officers and a civilian, spun down onto the roof.
“I can also confirm one fatality,” said Stephen House, the chief constable of the police in Scotland. “We expect that number to increase over the coming hours.” Fraser Gibson, who was at pub at the time of the crash, estimated that there were about 120 people other people inside. “It sounded like a giant explosion,” he told the BBC. “Part of the room was covered in dust. We didn’t know what had happened. We froze for a second, there was panic and then people trying to get out the door.”
Fraser Gibson, who was inside The Clutha at the time, estimated that there were about 120 people inside at the time of the crash. “It sounded like a giant explosion,” he told the BBC. “Part of the room was covered in dust. We didn’t know what had happened. We froze for a second, there was panic and then people trying to get out the door.” At first patrons did not know what had happened, said Grace MacLean, who was also inside. “There was like a whoosh noise,” she said. “Then there was some smoke, what seemed like smoke, so the band were laughing and we were all joking that the band had made the roof come down, and at the time they carried on playing. Then it started to come down more and someone started screaming, and then the whole pub just filled with dust, like you couldn’t see anything, you couldn’t breathe.”
At first patrons didn’t know what had happened, said Grace MacLean, who was also inside. “There was like a whoosh noise,” she said. “Then there was some smoke, what seemed like smoke, so the band were laughing and we were all joking that the band had made the roof come down, and at the time they carried on playing. Then it started to come down more and someone started screaming, and then the whole pub just filled with dust, like you couldn’t see anything, you couldn’t breathe.”
A Labour member of Parliament, Jim Murphy, was driving nearby and said he saw “a pile of people clambering out of a pub, the dust, no smoke, no fire, but huge dust and people covered in dust and multiple injuries.” He said Glaswegians formed a human chain to help pull others out of the pub.” He told Sky News: “The helicopter was inside the pub. It’s a mess. I could only get a yard or two inside.”A Labour member of Parliament, Jim Murphy, was driving nearby and said he saw “a pile of people clambering out of a pub, the dust, no smoke, no fire, but huge dust and people covered in dust and multiple injuries.” He said Glaswegians formed a human chain to help pull others out of the pub.” He told Sky News: “The helicopter was inside the pub. It’s a mess. I could only get a yard or two inside.”
The editor of the Scottish Sun, Gordon Smart, was in a parking lot nearby and said he heard a misfiring engine. The helicopter was about 500 yards above him, he said. “It was falling at great speed. It looked like the rotors weren’t spinning. The helicopter was sort of turning in a strange position and dropped at great speed. But oddly enough there was no explosion, no fireball.” The three people in the helicopter survived the crash. The editor of the tabloid newspaper The Scottish Sun, Gordon Smart, was in a parking lot nearby and said he heard a misfiring engine. The helicopter was about 500 yards above him, he said. “It was falling at great speed. It looked like the rotors weren’t spinning. The helicopter was sort of turning in a strange position and dropped at great speed. But oddly enough there was no explosion, no fireball.” The three people in the helicopter survived the crash.
Glasgow’s deputy chief constable, Rose Fitzpatrick, said in a statement that “we are working hard to recover people still inside the building and we will make further details available when we have them.”Glasgow’s deputy chief constable, Rose Fitzpatrick, said in a statement that “we are working hard to recover people still inside the building and we will make further details available when we have them.”
She said it was too early to know why the dark blue police helicopter — a Eurocopter EC135 T2, with twin engines — had crashed.She said it was too early to know why the dark blue police helicopter — a Eurocopter EC135 T2, with twin engines — had crashed.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that teams of some 125 firefighters were working to stabilize the building and safely remove those remaining inside, using sniffer dogs. The left side of the building looked to have collapsed and spokesman Lewis Ramsay said that the building is “very unsafe.”The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that teams of some 125 firefighters were working to stabilize the building and safely remove those remaining inside, using sniffer dogs. The left side of the building looked to have collapsed and spokesman Lewis Ramsay said that the building is “very unsafe.”
John McGarrigle waited outside the police cordon outside the pub, anxious for news about his father. “I think he was in there when it crashed,” he said. “I’ve checked every hospital and there’s no sign of him. I’m very anxious. I’m just going to stand here ‘till I see casualties come out of the building.”John McGarrigle waited outside the police cordon outside the pub, anxious for news about his father. “I think he was in there when it crashed,” he said. “I’ve checked every hospital and there’s no sign of him. I’m very anxious. I’m just going to stand here ‘till I see casualties come out of the building.”