16 January 2013 Last updated at 16:53

In pictures: Helicopter crash at Vauxhall

People take photograph of the crash scene in Vauxhall

A helicopter has crashed into a crane at a building site in the Vauxhall area of south London. Within minutes of the accident, at 08:00 GMT, pictures started appearing on social networking websites.

It was reported that the helicopter had hit two cars when it crashed to the ground. Police said later that two people had died and 12 were injured.

Residents and commuters passing through the area expressed huge shock at the crash.

The crash happened in a busy area of London, by the Thames, and close to Vauxhall train and bus stations, both of which were closed for several hours.

Nic Walker took this dramatic photograph of the burning debris, which was circulating on Twitter within minutes.

More than 20 fire engines attended the scene and extinguished the flames while the entire area was sealed off.

Crane hanging off the top of St George Wharf Tower

It soon became clear the helicopter had hit a crane at the top of the 51-storey St George Wharf Tower, still under construction. This photograph shows the damaged crane hanging off the building.

A section of the giant crane lies in the street next to the construction site. St George Wharf Tower will be 181m (594ft) tall when completed next year and one of Europe's tallest residential buildings.

The authorities said the crane is now in a "precarious" position following the accident.

Police seal off the area, causing traffic chaos

The accident happened during the rush hour and caused chaos for commuters travelling into London by road. This photograph was taken by the BBC's Ross Hawkins.

In Pictures

In pictures: Helicopter crash at Vauxhall

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