3 killed in helicopter crash in Germany

Three people died in a helicopter crash in the western German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on Sunday.

It was initially unclear how many people had been aboard, according to a spokesperson.

"We assume there was one pilot and two passengers," police said later on Sunday.

Investigators said the four-seater Robinson R44 helicopter crashed early on Sunday afternoon in a forest near the town of Buchen, close to the border with Hesse and Bavaria. It was not clear what caused the accident.

Debris from the crash was scattered over hundreds of metres in the middle of the forest, according to a police spokesperson at the scene. He was unable to provide any information about the identity of those who died.

Numerous emergency personnel were at the crash site. "The situation is enormously depressing," the police spokesman said.

The wreckage was strewn across the ground and lodged in trees. The remains of a rotor blade could be seen but other debris could not be identified as parts appeared to have been crushed on impact.

One body was found 50 metres away from the helicopter crash site.

The emergency crews continued their work into the evening, though no immediate results of the investigation were expected, according to the spokesperson.

"It will take a long time until all traces are secured and analyzed," he said. A report by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation is likely to take several months.

Helicopter accidents are rare, according to the bureau's data.

Last year, it recorded four accidents involving helicopters in civil aviation in Germany, none of which resulted in serious injuries or deaths.