Helicopter crashes near Seattle Space Needle, killing 2

A helicopter crashed Tuesday morning near the Space Needle in Seattle, killing two people and injuring at least one. Seattle Fire Department confirmed the fatalities and posted a picture on social network Twitter, showing pieces of the wreckage, including the helicopter's tail and a car, both charred. Reports reaching here from the city in the U.S. Pacific Northwest state of Washington quoted local KOMO-TV as confirming that its helicopter crashed on takeoff, hit two vehicles and caught fire outside the TV station. The incident took place during the morning rush hour, and firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within a half-hour. The injured, reportedly a 37-year-old male, freed himself from one of the cars and taken to a nearby hospital. The Space Needle, a 184-meter-high landmark and tourist attraction of the city, was built in 1961 as one of the highest structures along the U.S. west coast.