Recovery: Emergency workers take out parts of the helicopter as they try and find those who are trapped''
At least eight people died when a police helicopter fell out of the sky ‘like a stone’ and crashed through the roof of one of Glasgow’s best known pubs.The fatalities included everyone in the aircraft – two police officers and a civilian pilot.
One of them was named last night as PC Kirsty Nelis. In 2003, Mrs Nelis received a bravery award after overpowering a hammer- wielding thug.
In a terrible coincidence, her brother-in-law, Paul Nelis, is a fire service commander who was among the first on the scene – and learned of her death as he arrived.
The pilot of the helicopter, who is believed to be among the dead, was identified as former RAF flight lieutenant David Traill, 51.
Police also named Gary Arthur, 48, from Paisley, as another casualty, after his body was recovered from the scene on the banks of the River Clyde.
Operation: Emergency services battled through the Friday and Saturday night to find anyone still alive and to stabilise the building which was close to collapse''
Crash site: The helicopter's yellow-tipped rota blade blade and it's police logo can be seen jutting through the roof''
Mark O'Prey, 44, and poet John McGarrigle have both been reported missing by friends and family and are also feared dead.
according to The Sun.
Police admitted last night that there might still be bodies inside the pub, called The Clutha, though they have ruled out finding any more survivors. ‘The helicopter is in there and it is dominating the whole space within the building,’ said Chief Constable Sir Stephen House.
Five people inside the pub who had been listening to a live band were also among the dead. A total of 32 people were injured, 14 of them seriously – they were still being treated in hospitals across the city last night.
The tragedy cast a pall over Scotland’s St Andrew’s Day celebrations yesterday.
Tragic: Kirsty Nelis was one of eight people who died as the helicopter she was in crashed into a Glasgow pub''
Service: One of the victims PC Kirsty Nelis (far right) in flight''
‘I think it will become apparent later that the brave pilot averted an even bigger tragedy,’ said Grace Maclean, a 22-year-old marketing assistant, who was in the bar but escaped uninjured.
‘I believe there are many, many people who owe their lives to him – me included.’
She added: ‘I just feel numb. Looking at pictures of the scene, it just seems so surreal.
Tragedy: Group Commander Paul Nelis from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue found out his sister was dead when he arrived at the scene''
‘Obviously I am distraught that people have died at a place I went to for a fun night out. My thoughts are with their families. I was so lucky.
‘If that helicopter had landed a few feet the other way, or landed heavier and gone through the roof with its rotors spinning, or exploded – well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.’
The crash happened while local ska band Esperanza were playing in the pub, which stands on bank of the Clyde in the city centre and is named after the river’s Latin name.
At first, there was bemusement, and some even laughed as a panel fell down behind the stage. ‘Looks like we’re bringing the roof down,’ joked the singer as the band carried on playing.
Yet seconds later, as dust clouds swirled through the bar, it became abundantly clear that something horrifying had happened. Slowly at first, part of the roof began caving in. Then it gave way completely, trapping a number of people directly beneath it.
Robert Kennedy, whose daughter Anne Marie was working behind the bar at the time of the incident, said she suffered a broken leg but was relieved she was alive.
Mr McGarrigle, 59, a regular, is thought to have died because he was sitting in his ‘favourite seat’ which was directly under the point where the helicopter struck the roof.
His son John spent half the night frantically trying to contact him until he finally became convinced he was dead and ‘probably lying underneath the helicopter’.
He added: ‘He sat in the same spot all the time... a woman called Fiona said she walked into the toilet and, bang, the ’copter came in. When she came running out the door, my dad and Sammy [his friend] were gone.’
By this point, there was shouting and screaming and a thick cloud of black dust had swept over everyone inside. ‘I could barely see a few inches in front of me,’ said Ms Maclean.
‘I could feel hands grabbing me and people shouting: “Get out.”’
What happened at The Clutha'Yani hebu fikiria unakunywa mbege zako mara unasikia mdondoko wa embe mbichi mtini '' yani what the chance of that to happen pale unaambiwa Helikopter inaweza kudondokea kwenye hiyo pub au nyumba ?si utakataa'Ruwa Manga!!
Bleak scene: rescue workers haul tarpaulins over The Clutha pub's shattered roof, covering the carnage'
Access: The recovery operation saw firefighters trying to get into the pub from the roof'''
Reaction: Paul Watt, a regular at the Clutha pub, breaks down in tears as the police corden on Stockwell Street in Glasgow''
Response: Scottish Fire and Rescue firefighters and USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams use ropes to stabilise a ladder as they stand on the roof of the pub''
Boundary: An officer walks walks past the metal barrier which has been set up around the pub''
Concerned: Police officers speak to two women at a hotel adjacent to the pub'
He said: ‘It wasn’t a screaming, shouting match – and bear in mind that I ran over seconds after it happened, so people were coming out – and I think their reaction was “What’s happened?” because people didn’t seem to be in a state of complete panic.
‘Everybody was doing their best to try to get inside that pub and get people out of it.
‘I was very aware of how people were totally unconcerned about their own safety and just trying to get people out. I was right at the front door and initially there were a couple of people lying there and one lad who looked particularly badly injured; we got him out.
‘He was completely covered in dust and looked as though he was struggling to breathe. He was uncommunicative, so I established that he was breathing and he had a pulse and I got other people to help me to take him away from the front of the building, because at this point other people were being literally pulled out on top of us.’
Another witness in the pub, Fraser Gibson, 34, described hearing a ‘giant explosion’.
‘Part of the room was covered in dust,’ he recalled. ‘We didn’t know what had happened. We froze for a second, there was panic and then people tried to get out the door. I would say there were maybe 120 people inside the pub. A lot managed to get out straight away, but it was hard to tell how many were actually trapped in the other half of the bar.’
Another reveller in the bar, Åsa Gunnarsson, said: ‘I was standing in front of the stage when there was a loud bang – then I couldn’t see anything because of the dust.
‘Everyone tried to help each other and make sure that everyone got out.’
Brave: Labour MP Jim Murphy rushed from a nearby hospital to rescue the wounded from the pub
Esperanza bassist Jessica Combe told The Mail on Sunday yesterday: ‘Despite the situation everyone was so helpful and caring of each other.
‘The police, ambulances, firefighters all did a stellar job and continue to do so today in extremely difficult conditions.
‘Our biggest concern is that everyone is found and can get the care and help they need. We were meant to play a gig tomorrow but due to last night’s events we will not be there. Our main concern is the safety of everyone who has not yet been rescued.’
For much of yesterday, it was unclear if anyone alive was still inside the building. Chief Constable Sir Stephen House said: ‘We are still in what we are determining as a rescue and recovery situation. Until it [the helicopter] is out of the way, we won’t know everything that is going on underneath the helicopter. We simply can’t say what the situation is at this moment definitively.’
Chief fire officer Alasdair Hay added: ‘This is a very challenging, very complex and very difficult rescue situation.’
Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to the bravery of the ‘ordinary Glaswegians’ who rushed to help and the Queen said her thoughts and prayers were with the victims of crash.
Yesterday an inquiry involving the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the emergency services was launched.
The probe will focus on mechanical faults within the aircraft and a potential failure in the fuel supply.
There is a chance the fuel could have been contaminated while the engine could also have lost power.
It comes after witnesses described the engine 'spluttering' as it fell from the sky onto the roof of the pub.
Sources close to the investigation said the pilot was 'as experienced as you could possible get', according to The Sunday Times.
Perspective: An overview of the scene at The Clutha on the other side of the River Clyde
A large section of the city centre, which was thronged with Christmas shoppers yesterday, was cordoned off. The Archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia, who held at special Mass at St Andrew’s Cathedral near the scene, said: ‘My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by this tragic accident.
‘Prayers will be offered for everyone, especially for those who have died, for the injured and for the bereaved . . . Saint Andrew, patron of Scotland, pray for us.’
It emerged yesterday that the model of helicopter which crashed – the Eurocopter EC135 – was grounded last year amid safety concerns after a fault was found with one of the two aircraft used by the Scottish Ambulance Service. They were later cleared to fly.
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| WAZIMA MOTO WAKIONEKANA WAKIFANYA KAZI YAO IPASAVYO 'HAPA WANAJARIBU KUFUNIKA HELICOPTER HIYO ILIYO ANGUKA JUU YA BAA HUKO GLASGOW' YANI IT IS SO SAD 'DAKIKA MOJA UNAKUNYWA POMBE ZAKO NA KUFURAHIA MAISHA ,DAKIKA MOJA UNALIA KWA HUZUNI HUKU UKIKATA ROHO AU UKIWA NA MAJERUHI MAKUBWA''AMA KWELI JAMANI KIFO TWATEMBEA NA CHO POPOTE PALE TUENDAPO '' ''R.I.P . HAPPY PEOPLE" |
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