At least two dead as firefighting helicopter crashes into Portuguese river with 'pilot rescued by tourist boat'

At least two people have been confirmed dead after a firefighting helicopter with six on board crashed into a river in northern Portugal.

The pilot of the chopper is reported to have been rescued by a tourist boat on the Douro River, while three other crewmembers remain missing.

The aircraft became submerged in the river after it crashed in Cambres, near the city of Lamego, and the alarm was raised around 12.30pm.

A vast search and rescue operation was launched, and the bodies of two men who were found inside the helicopter. 

Teams are searching the wreckage and the banks of the river, with divers scouring the water and the operation also involving maritime police and recreational boats, according to authorities. 

Emergency workers are searching for missing people after a helicopter crash in Portugal

Police, firefighters, divers, recreational boats and military personnel are involved in the search, a GNR spokesperson said

File image shows a view of the River Douro in the north of Portugal, where the crash took place

GNR chief Mafalda Gomes de Almeida confirmed the the helicopter pilot had been rescued and was taken to a nearby hospital.

He sustained broken legs and is suffering from hypothermia after the crash, local media reports, but is not in a life threatening condition.

The helicopter had been returning from fighting a fire in Baião, around 45 miles east of the city of Porto, according to reports.

A spokesman for the GNR police force confirmed: ‘The search is continuing in the river for the five members of the UEPS who are still missing.

‘Maritime police, firefighters, divers, recreational boats and GNR military personnel are involved.

‘The causes of the accident are as yet unknown.

‘The pilot of the helicopter was rescued alive with minor injuries.’

The Douro Valley is a popular destination with tourists, famed for its wine and scenery, with a large section designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Douro River is the longest in the Iberian peninsula and flows from the north of Spain, through Portugal and into the Atlantic at Porto.