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Helicopter crashes at field on Isle of Wight in England: Reports
The chopper reportedly crashed in a field near Shanklin Road earlier on Monday morning.
A helicopter with four people onboard reportedly crashed in a field on the Isle of Wight in England on Monday as emergency services rushed to the scene, urging locals to stay away from the area.
An emergency services official later said that one injured person was airlifted to a major trauma centre in University Hospital Southampton.
The chopper crashed in a field near Shanklin Road earlier on Monday morning, police said. The road has currently been closed, and citizens have been urged to avoid the area.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and the Coastguard Rescue 175 teams from Lee-on-Solent are present on the scene, The Sun reported.
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"We were called at 9:24 am to a report that a helicopter had come down in a field near the A3020 Shanklin Road. The road is closed due to the number of emergency services vehicles at the scene, so please avoid the area at this time," a spokesperson for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight police was quoted as saying.
A witness reportedly told the Isle of Wight County Press that she was driving towards Shanklin when she saw the helicopter "spiralling" before it went out of sight and crashed in a hedge.
She said she was first to be present on the scene, adding that there were four people on board. She reportedly believed that the airbags were activated.
The nature of the incident is yet to be ascertained. There are also no reports of any injuries as of now, a Reuters report said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance also confirmed that its dispatchers deployed the Air Ambulance at 9:28 am (local time) to an incident near Ventnor on the Isle of Wight on Monday.
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"The Critical Care Team, consisting of a doctor and a specialist paramedic, is on scene, working alongside our emergency service colleagues," the spokesperson added.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) launched a probe into the crash and said that the agency was informed of the accident involving a light helicopter in the morning hours.
Earlier this month, at least six people died after a light aircraft crashed near Kenya's capital, Nairobi. AMREF Flying Doctors said the mid-sized jet, a Cessna Citation XLS, departed from Nairobi towards Somaliland but crashed in Mwihoko, a residential area in Kiambu County bordering Nairobi.
