Friday night carnage: Three killed and dozens injured when POLICE helicopter crashes though roof of packed Glasgow city centre music pub after 'aircraft's rotor blades stop spinning in mid-air'
Dozens have been injured and emergency services had to dragg customers out of the premises after the aircraft fell from the sky 'like a stone'.
A police officer at the scene said there were a 'few confirmed deaths' but could not say how many.
Staff at Glasgow Royal Infirmary say nine people from the scene are being treated at the hospital with some said to have 'very serious injuries.'
The propeller blades are visible on the top of the roof as firefighters use cherry pickers to examine the site
Firefighters try to access the pub in Glasgow where a helicopter crashed into a roof
A firefighter is seen standing over a propeller blade which is sticking out of the roof of the pub
Eyewitness Fraser Gibson, 34, who was in the pub with his brother to see his former band, said: 'Midway through their set it sounded like a giant explosion. The room was covered in dust.
'We didn’t know what had happened. We froze for a second; there was panic and then people trying to get out the door.’
Another witness said: ‘It was total bedlam.'
The aircraft, which is said to have had two police officers and a civilian pilot on board, hit The Clutha on Stockwell Street, which faces the river Clyde.
Witnesses said bystanders did not flee the scene and rushed to help by creating a human chain to lift the wounded from the pub to safety.
A damaged part of the helicopter lies next to an ambulance
Scottish Fire and Rescue firefighters and USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams use ropes to stabilise a ladder as they stand on the roof of the pub
‘Nobody knows just how many people were in the pub at the time as there was a concert being held there.’
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said in a statement: 'Our thoughts are with everyone involved with the incident in Glasgow,' he said.
'The emergency services were on the scene within minutes, the rescue efforts are still in full operation and the Scottish Government's resilience operation is now mobilised.'
David Cameron and Ed Miliband have also taken to the social media site to express their concern for those caught up in the horrific incident.
People are rushed away from the scene to a nearby Holiday Inn for treatment
The scene was cordoned off on Stockwell Street which is close to the River Clyde
Part of the aircraft with the letters 'C' and 'E' written on is seen sticking out of the roof of the pub
Reports say dozens of people have been taken to a nearby Holiday Inn for treatment.The emergency services have also been trying to get onto the roof to get access into the pub.
Police Scotland have a helipad two miles west of the venue, suggesting the pilot of the helicopter may have been heading towards there.
An eyewitness said the vehicle 'dropped like a stone' and another said the propellers appeared to have failed as it fell from the sky
Labour MP Jim Murphy, who was passing at the time and remained at the scene to help victims, said on Twitter: 'Terrible here in Glasgow, helicopter crashed into roof of pub.'
The letters on the side of the aircraft indicate it could be a police helicopter which crashed into the roof of the pub
Rescue workers examine the wreckage of a police helicopter
Multiple police vans and ambulances block the street which is next to the River Clyde
He also said there were 'multiple injuries' and people off the street had to help evacuate people.
Mr Murphy, the former Scotland Secretary, told the BBC: 'It's a well established Glasgow pub. It's a horrible horrible scene, but well done to the folk who were here.
'Everyone formed a chain of people from inside the pub to outside, and the fire brigade and everyone were here very quickly.'
David Cameron said: 'My thoughts are with everyone affected by the helicopter crash in Glasgow - and the emergency services working tonight.'
Wreckage of the police helicopter which crashed into the roof. Eye witnesses said the propellers did not seem to be working
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue have said there are 15 engines at the site and a number of ambulances
The emergency services over the roof of the pub, trying to get access to the venue
The Police Roll of Honour Trust tweeted 'Our thoughts are with the crew of @policescotland SP99 helicopter that has crashed in Glasgow - hoping everyone is alright.'
Ed Miliband wrote: 'Shocking news from Glasgow, all my thoughts with people injured'.
The band who were playing, Esperanza, posted on Facebook that the musicians were all safe and well, but that they did not know the extent of others' injuries.
Grace McClean, who was inside the pub at the time of the crash, told the BBC: 'There was a ska band on in the pub at the back. It was fairly busy, we were having a nice time
'There was a woosh noise and then there was a bang. There was what seemed like smoke, but the band carried on playing.
'The whole pub just filled with dust, you couldn't see anything and you couldn't breathe. We managed to get outside, we found our friends, people were coming out in blood.'
Twitter picture of the Clutha Bar in Glasgow where a police helicopter has crashed into the roof
The helicopter crashed into the venue near the river Clyde
An aerial view highlighting The Clutha pub's location next to the River Clyde
'I wasn't sure whether there had been an explosion. My daughter said to me it was a helicopter that had hit the roof.
'Police are everywhere. We are just very shaken.'
Another Twitter user said: 'This is unbelievable. Just spent 20 minutes pulling people out the bar. Apparently a helicopter crashed on the roof.'
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service initially said they were on their way to a 'building explosion' in Glasgow's Clyde Street.
ANCIENT LINKS TO THE RIVER, AND BILLY CONNOLLY'S FAVOURITE BOOZER: THE GLASGOW PUB TRAGICALLY STRUCK BY A POLICE HELICOPTER
The Clutha has played host to many famous customers, including Billy Connolly
The pub where a helicopter crashed this evening has sat staunchly by the River Clyde since 1819, where it has helped foster Glasgow’s bustling music scene, and played host to the occasional celebrity.
Named after the Latin name for the River Clyde, which runs through Glasgow, it was twinned with the nearby Scotia Bar, the oldest drinking establishment in the city.
It was once the final stop for the Clutha boats, or ‘penny steamers’ that would take people to and from work in the Forth of Clyde, once the centre of the world’s shipbuilding industry.
More recently it has counted Glasgow residents including comedian Billy Connolly and socialist politician Tommy Sheridan as patrons.
It is now a noted live music venue, with performances most nights. Ska band Esperanza were playing on the night of the performance.
The pub even plays a bit part in the story of war hero Private Jimmy Stokes, who charged into an occupied German building on his own in 1945.
It was his last stop in his hometown before heading to war, where he bested the Germans but was fatally wounded and died overseas, being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Clutha was also a favoured haunt of Scottish socialist Tommy Sheridan, who led protests against the poll tax in 1989 and was jailed twice.
Although teetotal, he spent hours in Clutha drinking coffee before handing himself over an unpaid court fine for causing a disturbance at a protest.
Another teetoal star who can be spotted in the pub was Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. Although teetotal, Billy could once often be spotted in the establishment.
The entertainer, who now lives in the USA, was even linked to an alleged assault at the venue in 1997 in the wake of a footballing triumph by local team Celtic.
The comedian reportedly lashed out when a Press photographer tried to take a picture of him.
Police officers rush to set up a cordon to keep onlookers away from the pub
A model similar to the helicopter involved the incident
The helicopter crashed into the roof of the pub on Stockewell Street in Glasgow
A spokesman added: 'I can confirm that we have people at the scene.'It is obviously a major incident. There are numerous fire engines there; 15 fire engines at the moment along with specialist services. I cannot confirm if there have been any injuries.'
Gordon Smart, a newspaper editor, told Sky News: 'I was in a car park and looked up and saw a helicopter which I think was a police helicopter.
'It was just such a surreal moment. It looked like it was dropping from a great height at a great speed. I'm about 80% sure that it was a police helicopter.
'There was no fire ball and I did not hear an explosion. It fell like a stone. The engine seemed to be spluttering.'
He added that it seemed the propellers of the helicopter were not working as it fell from the sky.
The Prime Minister takes to Twitter to say his thoughts are with those involved
The Police Memorial Trust said their thoughts were with the crew on board
A Twitter user takes to social media after hearing a crash in the city centre
Mr Murphy told BBC News: 'I got out of my car and just tried to help people.
'I saw a pile of people clammering out of the pub in the dust. No smoke, no fire, just a huge amount of dust.'
Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: 'Absolutely awful news about a helicopter crashing into the Clutha. All my thoughts are with everyone involved & the emergency services'.
Many people took to social media to say they were proud to be from the city after hearing reports that many people had run to the pub to help the injured.
Andy Dixon, an RAF technician, speculated that the pilot might have tried to land on the roof of the pub after the helicopter lost power.
He told the BBC: 'If the tail rota had failed it would have been a catastrophe. There could have been a power failure, but it would have been coming down and in control.
'It sounds like the pilot has come down at the roof and the rotar blades have spun down. At some point, the weight of the aircraft would have overcome the support of the roof.'
The crash comes more than 20 years after a police helicopter ploughed into a block of luxury flats in Eastwood Toll, Glasgow, resulting in one death.
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