NEW YORK CITY, NY (KLFY) — Early today a helicopter, that was registered from Broussard, broke and crashed upside down in the Hudson River, killing six people, officials said.

According to FAA records, the tail number of the helicopter is N216MH

and was registered with Meridian Helicopters LLC located in Broussard.

Officials said the flight holding a Spanish tour group and began flying around downtown New York around 3 p.m.

Witness Bruce Wall said he saw the helicopter “falling apart” in midair, with the tail and propeller coming off. The propeller was still spinning without the aircraft as it fell.

Videos posted to social media showed smoke coming out of the helicopter, the parts of the chopper splashing into the water and the overturned aircraft was submerged, with rescue boats circling it.

The skies were overcast at the time, but visibility over the river was not substantially impaired. Rescue crews had to deal with 45-degree water temperatures while recovering the bodies to shore.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a Bell 206, a model widely used in commercial and government aviation, including by sightseeing companies, TV news stations and police departments. It was initially developed for the U.S. Army before being adapted for other uses. Thousands have been manufactured over the years.

Officials said the investigation is still ongoing and we will update as more information is released.

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