Police: Chopper crash death toll climbs to 8

Scotland rescue operation likely to take ‘many days’

Scotland police said Saturday that the death toll has increased to eight from a police helicopter crashing into a Glasgow pub.

Emergency workers were digging through rubble to find survivors in the wreckage of the pub that partially collapsed when the helicopter crashed into the building’s roof late Friday night.

In a press briefing Saturday, Chief Constable Stephen House said all those aboard the helicopter — two officers and a civilian pilot — died when the aircraft crashed into the roof of The Clutha Bar.

Five other people were killed on the ground.

He also said 14 injured people remain in Glasgow hospitals.

“This is a complex and ongoing rescue operation,” House said, according to the BBC. “It will not be a quick operation. It is a very complicated and indeed dangerous scene.”

He added that emergency services would remain on the scene for some time and that the operation would take “many days.”

The Eurocopter EC135 T2 plunged into The Clutha Bar about 10:25 p.m. local time, said Police Scotland, the national police force.

On Friday, Scotland’s leader, Alex Salmond, said of the tragedy: “It is a black day for Scotland and Glasgow.”

Police reported that an estimated120 people were inside the popular pub, located on the banks of the River Clyde, when the crash occurred.

The pub was packed with the usual Friday night crowd, drinking and listening to a nine-piece ska band called Esperanza. Members of the band all escaped from the wreckage unharmed.

Witnesses spoke of people streaming out of the building covered in blood, with gashes and other injuries.