West Virginia helicopter crash leaves six dead

Aircraft crashed on State Route 17 and was on fire when rescue crews arrived, local media reports

A Bell UH-1 helicopter similar to the one that crashed onto a highway in the US state of West Virginia on Wednesday. AFP

Six people are dead after a helicopter used for tourism flights crashed onto a highway in the US state of West Virginia on Wednesday, according to local media.

The aircraft crashed on State Route 17 and was on fire when rescue crews arrived, TV station WSAZ reported.

The helicopter was a Vietnam War-era Bell UH-1B, WSAZ said. It was based at an airport in the state's Logan County, Ray Bryant, chief of operations for the Logan Emergency Management Authority, told the station.

The identities of the victims have not been confirmed, but Mr Bryant said the passengers were not local.

The reason for the crash could not be confirmed on Wednesday evening, Mr Bryant said.

He said one of the helicopter's owners visited the scene.

State Route 17 was expected to remain closed for 24 hours while an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration gets under way, Mr Bryant told the station.

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