Pilots killed in Seoul copter crash

A helicopter has plunged to the ground in Seoul, killing the two pilots after its propeller clipped the side of a 38-storey luxury apartment building.

The helicopter crashed in the upmarket Gangnam district in the south-east of the South Korean capital, fire officials said.

The helicopter, belonging to the LG Group, was on its way to a nearby landing field where it was scheduled to pick up LG employees and head to a Korean city in the south.

The 57-year-old captain, Park In-kyu, died, while a 36-year-old vice-captain was taken to a hospital in serious condition but died later. LG Electronics said the two were company employees.

No one was hurt in the apartment tower, the I-Park building, which is one of the most expensive in Seoul.

A resident of the tower, 54-year-old Jeong Young-woo, said: "I heard a blast sound while I was sleeping, so I ran out. The boom sounded like a war had started."

TV footage showed shattered windows on the upper levels of the building. The helicopter was nearly destroyed except for its tail section.

Seoul was foggy at the time but fire officials declined to say if the thick fog played a role in the crash.

Gangnam is Seoul's trendy district made famous by South Korean rapper PSY's smash hit music video Gangnam Style.