Helicopter crash kills four in Sao Paulo

A helicopter crashed through the roof of a factory in Brazil and exploded today, killing four people, a Sao Paulo fire department…

A helicopter crashed through the roof of a factory in Brazil and exploded today, killing four people, a Sao Paulo fire department official said.

"None of the employees working in the factory, which produces compressed gasses, was injured when the helicopter burst through the building's aluminum roof in flames around 1 p.m. [4 p.m. Irish time] and fell to the floor," said fireman Mr Evan Palma.

"We do not know the cause of the accident. The blaze is under control and firemen are now trying to retrieve the bodies from the wreckage," said Mr Palma.

The Sao Paulo helicopter was part of the world's third-largest urban fleet, after New York City and Tokyo. Almost 500 helicopters daily cross the skies over South America's largest metropolitan area of 16 million people.