Four crew members are believed to have died after a US military Pave-Hawk helicopter crashed on the coast of North Norfolk.
Emergency services at the scene of the crash in North Norfolk
The US Air Force has confirmed that one of its Pave-Hawk military helicopters has crashed in North Norfolk.
Norfolk Police say four people died when the helicopter came down in Cley Next The Sea around 6pm today.
Officers at the scene of the crash have set up a 400-metre cordon at the site.
The helicopter was based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
The 48th Air Wing of the US Air Force based at RAF Lakenheath said on Twitter:
"We can confirm that one of our HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters was involved in an incident during a training mission outside Cley-Next-The-Sea."
Police said residents close to the scene can stay in their homes, but pedestrians and motorists are being diverted away as there is live ammunition on board the craft.
Around a dozen emergency vehicles from the fire brigade, coastguard and police are at the scene.
Cley artist Rachel Lockwood said: "We had never seen so many police cars and fire engines, so went to have a look.
"The beach road to Cley is sealed off. There are lots of fire engines near the Dun Cow pub at Salthouse.
"A helicopter is hovering over the marsh with a light beaming down."
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) earlier confirmed it was aware of the crash, adding that the helicopter is not believed to be a British military craft.
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust said the helicopter crashed on the shingle bank at the Cley Marshes nature reserve.
A spokesman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said: "We were asked for three lifeboats to respond to reports that an aircraft had possibly ditched in the sea.
"Lifeboats Wells, Sheringham and Cromer were launched at the request of the coastguard but were stood down when it was confirmed that the aircraft had come down over land."
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