Two dead in chopper crash in New York

"A helicopter earlier this evening descended into the East River near East 90 St.," said the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Twitter.

Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, said on Twitter that there was "at least one survivor, at least two fatalities. Divers are still in the water."

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Eurocopter AS350 went down near the northern end of Roosevelt Island and was reported to be upside-down in the water, Xinhua reported.

The New York City Fire Department tweeted that its members were with police at the location near 91st Street in Manhattan.