Video shows helicopter strike radio tower, killing 4 in Texas. ‘This is gut-wrenching’

Four people, including a child, were killed when a helicopter struck a radio tower near downtown Houston, Texas, officials say.

Video shared on Facebook by Jay Marroquin of MYSTUDIO HTX, a photography studio in Houston, showed the impact of the Sunday, Oct. 20, crash.

A bright light filled part of the night sky after the helicopter struck the radio tower. Then, a loud explosion is heard.

“This is gut-wrenching,” one commenter said.

“So sad to watch,” another person said.

In a press conference streamed by KHOU, Houston Mayor John Whitmire called it a “tragic scene” but noted it could have been “worse” because the aircraft crashed near a butane tank.

There were four people in the helicopter, which departed from the Ellington Airport, according to Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz. Houston City Council member Mario Castillo referred to the aircraft as a “private touring helicopter.”

Police later said all four passengers were confirmed to be dead, KPRC reported. The identities of the victims have not been publicly disclosed, and the age of the child was unknown.

While the crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies, KTRK reported that the lights of the radio tower “have a history of not working.”