A police helicopter crashed in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Tuesday, killing all five people on board, Kyodo News reported.

The helicopter was monitoring traffic conditions on a nearby highway when it crashed at about 4:30 p.m. (0730 GMT), the report said.

The helicopter crashed on the road between a two-story residence building and a river, with its body on the bank and tailin the water, a Fuji TV station report showed.

A heavy fire burst out and charred the helicopter beyond recognition.

The roof of the building was partly damaged and a passenger caron the ground also was broken.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties on the ground.

Source: Xinhua