Two dead - including pilot - and nine injured as helicopter hits crane on new tower beside Thames and plunges into rush-hour traffic

Two people died today including a pilot and nine more were injured - one critically - after a helicopter struck a newly-built tower and plunged into rush hour traffic in central London. Daily Mail reports.

Witnesses said the helicopter - which is believed to have been heading from Redhill, Surrey, to Elstree, Hertfordshire, to collect an executive - was using the route of the River Thames and hit a crane at the top of the tower near Vauxhall Bridge in Vauxhall, central London, at 8am.

The helicopter, which hit the under-construction The Tower St George Wharf, was reported to have been carrying a pilot but no passengers. The aircraft struck the ground just 20 yards from Vauxhall station, which is a major commuting hub in the capital.

Witnesses reported very low cloud at the time of the accident, suggesting the pilot may not have seen the crane which was barely visible from street level. At least two cars were hit by debris from the crash. The area was evacuated because of the precarious position of the crane at the top of the tower.