Norwegian police have confirmed that a helicopter carrying
13 people has crashed on the island on Sotra, just west of the country's
second city, Bergen. The fire service has said there is an unknown
amount of damage.
Residents told Bergen Tidende they heard a large explosion before seeing the helicopter crash to the ground in the Turøy area. Norwegian paper Dagbladet confirmed
with the Civil Aviation Authority that 13 people were on board, though other reports had put the number as high as 17.
The helicopter was
reportedly on its way to the Brage oil field in the North Sea, though
that too is disputed, with other Norwegian media saying the destination
was Flesland and the aircraft had come from the oil station of Gullfaks.
Reports have said that a number of people are in the water and
witnesses have said boats are in the area.
Witnesses told Bergen
Tidende that there were a number of explosions, with one man saying he
saw the helicopter wobble in the air before a large bang and the rotor
coming loose. The leader of the rescue team said that the helicopter had
largely burnt up. There are so far no signs of survivors.
A
Eurocopter EC225 helicopter operated by CHC Helicopter Services is
pictured preparing to land on the helipad at the Troll A offshore gas
platform, operated by Statoil ASA, in the North Sea near Bergen, Norway,
on 11 October 2012
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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