At least seven dead as helicopter crashes into TV tower in Istanbul

A helicopter has crashed into a television tower in Istanbul in dense fog, killing at least seven people. The Sikorsky S-76 aircraft, owned by private firm Eczacibasi, crashed shortly after take off from the city's Ataturk Airport. Taxi driver Fikret Karatekin told the broadcaster the helicopter struck the tower before crashing on a road. "It hit the tower and crashed by spinning," he said. Another witness said: "I was driving. I heard an explosion... we saw pieces falling out of the sky. There was a lot of smoke. It exploded like a bomb. At first we thought it was a terror attack or something,"

It hit the tower and crashed by spinning. I was driving. I heard an explosion... we saw pieces falling out of the sky

Eyewitness

Seven people were on board at the time including four Russian nationals, an executive of Eczacibasi and two pilots. Bulent Eczacibasi. chairman of the Turkish conglomerate which is involved in pharmaceuticals and building products, did not give any details as to who had survived the crash. But he told reporters at the scene that the Russians were clients who were being taken to a factory near the town of Bozuyuk, situated 120 miles south of the Turkish capital, when the aircraft came down. The company executive was a Turkish national who headed the firm's operations in Russia, he added. Vasip Sahin, the governor of Istanbul, confirmed at least seven people had been killed, adding that the cause of the smash was being investigated.

Yahoo