Asst Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay: "125 firefighters inside and out"
A police helicopter has crashed into a busy pub on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow.
The crash happened at The Clutha in Stockwell Street at 22:25 on Friday.
Police Scotland confirmed there were three people on board the helicopter - two officers and a civilian pilot.
There have been "numerous" casualties but police have not confirmed whether anyone has died. It is not known how many people are still trapped inside the pub.
A senior fire officer said they had made contact with some people trapped inside the pub but the building was very unsafe and they were taking a "methodical" approach to the rescue.
It has been reported that about 120 people were in the pub at the time of the crash. Many were rescued or escaped but others have been trapped by a collapse on the left-hand side of the building.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter "falling like a stone" before it hit the bar.
Some of the injured were taken to a nearby Holiday Inn Express, while more serious casualties were being treated in hospital.
As he left the Accident and Emergency Department of Glasgow Royal Infirmary, a member of staff who did not want to be interviewed was asked how serious the injuries were. He replied with one word: "Very".
First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Given an incident of this scale we must all prepare ourselves for the likelihood of fatalities".
A telephone number for members of the public who are concerned about relatives who may have been involved in the Glasgow helicopter crash has been established.
The Police Scotland Casualty Bureau number - 0800 092 0410 - is now live.
Callers should only contact the Casualty Bureau number if they have concerns for relatives who may have been in the Clutha pub or surrounding area at the time of the incident.
A large area of the city centre has been cordoned off.
The emergency services could be seen on the roof of the pub trying to rescue people from inside.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it had a specialist urban search and rescue crew at the scene.
'Very unsafe'
Assistant chief officer Lewis Ramsay said: "Our officers are working very hard in what is a very complex and hard environment for them.
"We are in the process at the moment of making the building stable. It is very unsafe".
He said it was "difficult to tell" how many people were still inside.
Emergency services said there have been "numerous" casualties
He added: "We have had some contact (with those inside) and we are working away just now to make sure that the building is safe in order to get people out.
"We have got 125 firefighters here and they are not only working outside the perimeter of the building, they are working inside. They have been in the cellar, they have been on the roof."
He said "numerous" casualties were removed at the start of the incident and had been taken to hospital and other locations.
Images of the crash showed the wreckage of a dark blue helicopter with a yellow "POLICE" insignia lying on the roof of the pub.
A police spokesman said: "Police Scotland can confirm that the service helicopter crashed earlier this evening in Glasgow city centre.
"A major incident has been declared after the Eurocopter EC135 T2 - with a crew of three consisting of two police officers and a civilian pilot - came down on the roof of a pub in Stockwell Street at 10.25pm.
"Emergency services responded immediately and remain at the scene at the present time.
"Cordons have been put in place to allow the rescue operation to take place.
"At present Police Scotland is not in a position to confirm any details regarding injuries".
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Jim Murphy MP tells the BBC that "something horrific and serious happened"
The Police Roll of Honour Trust tweeted "Our thoughts are with the crew of @policescotland SP99 helicopter that has crashed in Glasgow - hoping everyone is alright."
Helicopter operator Bond Air Services said it was working with the police and emergency services.
Jim Murphy, the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire, said he ran into the pub to help before the emergency services arrived on the scene.
He told the BBC: "I was just a few yards away and I arrived on the scene outside the pub a few seconds after the impact. No-one knew what it was but you saw the pandemonium of the people trying to get out of the pub.
"It was almost like slow motion. Like other people you just do what you can to help."
A police insignia could be seen on the wreckage of the helicopter
Mr Murphy, who is the shadow international development minister, said it was a "horrific scene". He added: "As you stood there you could see the helicopter embedded in the roof and sticking out the top of the roof and you knew it was something really serious."
Mr Murphy, who had blood on his shirt which he said was not his, said he did not see the crash happen and it was all a bit of a blur for a few minutes before the emergency services arrived.
He added: "People just formed a bit of human chain, side by side with each other, to help pull injured people out."
Eyewitness Fraser Gibson, 34, was inside the pub with his brother to see his former band, Esperanza.
"Midway through their set it sounded like a giant explosion," he told BBC Scotland.
"Part of the room was covered in dust. We didn't know what had happened. We froze for a second; there was panic and then people trying to get out the door."
Mr Gibson said that immediately following the incident there was a suggestion that a helicopter had crashed into the roof of the pub.
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Gordon Smart of the Scottish Sun: "I saw the whole thing happen"
"There was no obvious sign of that," he said. "I couldn't hear of any rotors or anything like that before the event happened or any sign when we came out of the pub."
"I would say there was maybe 120 people inside the pub. A lot of people managed to get out straight away, but it was hard to tell how many were actually trapped in the other half of the bar.
"We wanted to get out of the way and let the emergency services get in there to help.
"I spoke to one of my former band members and he's as much in the dark over the situation as me.
"We checked that each other was safe and the rest of the band were safe. The immediate group I was with are all safe.
"We're obviously very concerned about what casualties have been sustained in the incident.
Emergency services vehicles at the scene
"There were no signs (of a helicopter) at all. The roof had just totally collapsed, there were shards of wood sticking out the top but nothing that said there had been a helicopter crash."
BBC Scotland reporter Andrew Kerr said: "I live nearby and actually heard the helicopter overhead just around that time and there was a definite change in the rotor noise and then there was just silence.
"I thought nothing more of it until I heard the sirens. The actual Police Scotland helicopter SP99 is based just two miles west along the River Clyde. It is well-known for the people of Glasgow to see, covering things like football matches in the city."
Claire Morris, who lives near the Clutha bar, told BBC News: "We heard this bang. We didn't really know what had happened and then we heard people coming out and screaming.
"I wasn't sure whether there had been an explosion. My daughter said to me it was a helicopter that had hit the roof.
"Police are everywhere. We are just very shaken."
She added the pub was very popular and would have been busy on a Friday night.
The crash happened at a pub in the centre of Glasgow
First Minister Alex Salmond tweeted: "The emergency services are in full operation. Our thoughts are with everyone involved. Scottish resilience operation now mobilised."
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "My thoughts are with everyone affected by the helicopter crash in Glasgow - and the emergency services working tonight."
In 2002, a police Eurocopter EC-135 came down in a field in Ayrshire. All three people on board survived.
In 1990, a police sergeant was killed when a Bell Jet 206 helicopter crashed in bad weather at Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire.
BBC
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