London helicopter crash: Two die in Vauxhall crane accident

Two people have been killed and 13 injured when a helicopter crashed into a crane in central London.

Police said the helicopter had hit the crane on top of The Tower, One St George Wharf at about 08:00 GMT.

About 90 firefighters were at the scene near Wandsworth Road in South Lambeth. Doctors said one of the dead was the pilot and the other was on the ground. Six people were taken to hospital.

The pilot had asked to be diverted to a nearby heliport because of bad weather.

Metropolitan Police Commander Neil Basu told BBC News it was "miraculous" the crash was not much worse.

Burning wreckage lay in the road but the fire was brought under control within 25 minutes, the fire brigade said.

The Civil Aviation Authority said there were 16,374 helicopter flights over London in 2012. It said single-engine craft were required to fly along certain routes, selected to provide safety, and while twin-engine helicopters could operate in wider areas, all were subject to air traffic control clearance.

It said pilots were notified of very tall structures for flight planning purposes, as was the case with the crane involved in the crash.

The Met told the BBC there was no suggestion the incident was linked to terrorism.