Helicopter crashes in Hudson River near Manhattan

A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Manhattan on Thursday, authorities said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.

The fire department said it received a report of a helicopter in the water at 3.17pm.

Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft mostly submerged, upside down in the water.

The fire department said it had units on scene performing rescue operations and video from the scene showed multiple rescue boats circling the aircraft.

The rescue craft were near a site close to the Manhattan waterfront, close to the end of a long maintenance pier for one of the ventilation towers for the Holland Tunnel.

Fire engines and other emergency vehicles were on the streets near the scene with their lights flashing.

The skies over Manhattan are routinely filled with planes and helicopters, both private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights.

Manhattan has several helipads that whisk business executives and others to destinations throughout the metropolitan area.

Over the years, there have been multiple crashes, including a collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River in 2009 that killed nine people and the 2018 crash of a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights that went down into the East River, killing five people.