Seven die in helicopter crash in Istanbul

A helicopter crashed into the air traffic control tower on Friday in the Büyükçekmece district of Istanbul, killing seven people.

Seven people had been on board the helicopter, including two Turkish crew, when it crashed shortly after taking off from Istanbul's Atatürk airport.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbaş said that seven people were killed in the incident.

An executive of the Turkish Eczacıbaşı group and four Russian passengers, including the company's Russian operations administrator, were aboard the helicopter.

The helicopter was initially reported to be a firefighting helicopter.