A small aircraft and a helicopter collided in midair over the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan on Saturday, raining debris down into the waterway, the authorities said.
It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the aircraft, but a Fire Department official said it appeared that at least one person had been, “removed from the water,” and taken ashore.
“It was in the vicinity of West 14th Street,” said Paul J. Browne, a the Police Department’s chief spokesman said.
Officials said it did not initially appear that either the plane or the helicopter belonged to a government agency.
The first reports of the crash came over emergency radios shortly before noon.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the collision between a tour helicopter carrying five Italian tourists and small plane around noon between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J., was "not survivable." The crash victims included five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter and the three people on the plane, including a child, Mr. Bloomberg said.