2 Hurt as helicopter crashes in waters off Miami Beach

Miami, Feb 19 (EFE).- Two of the three people aboard were injured Saturday when a helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean just a few meters from bathers on Miami Beach, authorities said.

The Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) released a video of the incident.

“This afternoon at 1:10 p.m., MBPD received a call of a helicopter crash in the ocean near 10 Street. Police and @MiamiBeachFire responded to the scene along with several partner agencies. Two occupants have been transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition,” the department said on Twitter.

The third occupant of the helicopter was not injured, MBPD said.

Authorities closed a stretch of beach following the crash, though not before people – some of them on jet skis – approached the scene to snap photos.

The Robinson R44 model helicopter crashed “under unknown circumstances,” the Federal Aviation Administration said, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board will take charge of the accident investigation.

Many of those who were on the beach at the time took to social media to share the experience.

“I’m sittin on south beach Miami? a f×××××× helicopter has just crashed into the sea in front of us?,” a user identified as Stan The Man wrote in a tweet accompanied by a photo of the aircraft in the water. EFE abm/dr