DEVELOPING: Five people were killed when a tourist helicopter crashed in a mountainous area of easte Teessee on Monday.
Teessee Emergency Management Association spokesman Dean Flener told the Associated Press that five people had died in the crash in Pigeon Forge, Te.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said the Bell 206 sightseeing helicopter crash was reported at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Related Image
April 4, 2016: Five people were killed in a helicopter crash near Sevierville, Te. (Michael Crowe)
Spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in an email that officials said the helicopter was destroyed by fire. It was not immediately known how many people were on board.
The owner of Smokey Mountain Helicopters also told WVLT-TV in an on air interview that five people died in the crash.
The group was on the sight-seeing ride as part of a popular tourist activity about 200 miles east of Nashville.
Pigeon Forge Police Chief Jack Balwin told WBIR-TV there was "not much left" of the helicopter.
"There's just a small piece of the tailwing and that's about what's left of the helicopter," he said.
According to the website for Smokey Mountain Helicopters, the company has been offering tours of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and surrounding areas since 1964.
The Teessee Forestry Division also responded to the scene because the crash started a fire in the woods, WBIR-TV reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.