Multiple dead, including child, in Texas helicopter crash

Multiple people, including a child, were killed in a helicopter crash in Houston, Texas on Sunday, local authorities said.

The helicopter, which was reportedly carrying four people, crashed into a radio tower in the city's east on Sunday evening, according to the Houston fire department.

Local media outlets reported large numbers of emergency personnel responding to the scene.

Fire officials said the crash's victims were travelling in the helicopter. Their identities have not yet been released.

Houston authorities believe the aircraft was a privately owned R44 helicopter which took off from Ellington Field, about 15 miles (24km) away from the site of the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had earlier issued a notification saying the tower's lights were not working, according to local broadcaster KHOU-TV, an affiliate of the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

Pictures shared by the fire department on social media show emergency workers investigating the wreckage at the scene.

In a press conference at the scene of the crash, Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said it did not appear that anyone on the ground had been hurt.

The crash caused a fire to spread over a "big area of land" covering an estimated two to three blocks, according to Fire Department Chief Thomas Munoz.

Speaking at the same late night conference, he said: "Luckily there were no residents, but it was near residents."

Houston Mayor John Whitmire added it was "fortunate" the crash did not cause a bigger explosion.

Some homes near the crash site lost power, he said.

Officials said that the radio tower was the only structure on the ground that was damaged by the impact.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.