Four people were killed and three others seriously injured when a civil helicopter crashed in Ningbo, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, on Thursday, said local police.

The helicopter, carrying seven people including crewmembers and reporters from the local TV stations, went down on a hilltop at around 2:00 PM.

The Ningbo TV station had rented the chopper from Zhejiang TV to shoot aerial footage at a local scenic spot.

Killed in the crash were the pilot and three journalists from the Zhejiang, Hangzhou and Ningbo TV stations.

Police, firefighters and other emergency personnel were able to reach the site of the crash rapidly. The three injured people remain hospitalized.

Investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2004)