Helicopter crashes into Glasgow pub roof

Photos of the scene aired on local television show what appear to be the helicopter's propeller sticking out of the top of the pub's roof. Rescue workers swarmed the door of the pub and several fire trucks were on the scene.

First Minister Alex Salmond confirmed that a police chopper was involved in the crash, saying that rescue efforts at The Clutha pub in the city's center were in full swing.

"Scottish resilience operation now mobilized," he said on his official Twitter account. "Given an incident of this scale we must all prepare ourselves for the likelihood of fatalities."

The helicopter had a crew of three  two police officers and a civilian pilot, according to Scottish police. Police said the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC135 T2 and came down around 10:25 p.m. local time. Emergency services responded immediately.

There were reports that people may have been trapped inside, but they could not be immediately confirmed. Glasgow ska band Esperanza were playing when the helicopter began to fall through the ceiling, witnesses said.

"It seems that the band are all OK. Not so sure about everyone else," the band's official Facebook page said.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as people rushed through a cloud of dust to get out, some with bad gashes to the head and other injuries.

Grace MacLean, who was inside the pub at the time of the crash, said she was "having a nice time" when there was a "whoosh" noise  then smoke.

Associated Press