Peter Reina for ENR

The luffing jib of the tower dangled precariously atop the London skyscraper after being hit by a helicopter.

A helicopter flying in fog and clouds struck a tower crane at a London high-rise project early this morning.

Two people in the helicopter died after it had crossed a busy highway and crashed in a nearby street, according to news reports.

At about 8 a.m on Jan. 16, the helicopter struck the luffing jib of a tower attached to the new skyscraper rising at 1 St. George Wharf, in the Vauxhall section of the city. The crash left the jib dangling above the south bank of London's River Thames.

Fog and clouds made visibility poor at the time of the accident.

The tower, due to open later this year, appeared to be undamaged. Neither the owner, Berkeley Group, nor the shell-and-core contractor, Brookfield Multiplex, gave details.