Helicopter crash in Brazil kills 4

SAO PAULO - Four people were killed Friday after the helicopter they were aboard crashed on a street in Brazil's Sao Paulo, the largest metropolis in South America, the Fire Department said.

The accident occurred at 2:35pm local time in the Barra Funda neighborhood in the western area of the city, the Fire Department said on its Twitter account.

The Fire Department, part of the Sao Paulo state Military Police, added that nine vehicles were affected by the crash and that it was "awaiting further information." The helicopter, according to local media, was a Robinson R44 Raven II, apparently owned by an air taxi company, reported Xinhua.

Sao Paulo has 411 private registered helicopters, with 2,200 daily trips per 2021 data, according to the Brazilian Helicopter Pilots Association. - BERNAMA-XINHUA