Two people have died and several have been injured after a helicopter crashed in central London and plummeted to the ground during rush hour.
The helicopter spun out of control and crash-landed after clipping a crane on top of one of Europe's tallest residential towers.
It fell from the sky before exploding into flames, plunging on to a street near Vauxhall train station.
The two people killed were the pilot, named as Pete Barnes, and a person on the ground.
Firefighters rescued a man from a burning car and brought a blaze caused by the crash under control.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe confirmed two deaths, one person critically injured and a number of others with less serious injuries.
Weather forecasters said cloud in central London was very low at the time of the accident, which happened at around 8am.
Mr Barnes had requested to divert and land at London Heliport at Battersea due to bad weather, a spokesman for the owners of the heliport has said.
Burning wreckage and aviation fuel covered the road as eyewitnesses reported seeing cars on fire and hearing people screaming.
Eight fire engines, four fire rescue units and around 60 firefighters attended the scene of the crash on a busy road, which is a few hundred metres from MI6.
Four fire engines and two fire rescue units also attended reports of a crane in a precarious position.
The crane was on top of a 51-storey building called The Tower, in the St George Wharf development.
Police said there was nothing to suggest a terrorism link to the helicopter crash.
There were reports that the helicopter was flying across London from Gatwick to Elstree.
The aircraft is understood to be an AgustaWestland AW109, a lightweight, twin-engine helicopter with eight seats.
A spokesman for London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "This is clearly a major incident involving considerable numbers of emergency service personnel.
"The Mayor's thoughts are with the families of the two victims and with those injured."
Eyewitness Michael Gavin saw the accident while he was standing at Vauxhall station.
"I was facing the building when it happened and I heard a loud bang," he said.
"The top of the crane was actually obscured by fog so I didn't see the impact. But I heard a bang and saw the body of the helicopter falling to the ground along with pieces of the crane and then a large plume of smoke afterwards."
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