A police helicopter crashed into the city's Clutha pub, with 32 people and an unknown number still trapped inside the wreckage of the bar
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Police Helicopter Crash
4:34 pm
Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, was also speaking at the press conference earlier.
He said: "This is heartbreaking news from the very centre of Glasgow. The people of Glasgow are praying for and doing everything they can to support the families and those most directly affected by this tragedy."
Mr Matheson also thanked the Scottish Government, emergency services and council workers.
"Above all, I am proud of the people of Glasgow. When there is trouble and people need assistance, the people of Glasgow head towards those situations."
4:29 pm
John Gleeson, a former Met air support manager, is speaking to Sky News.
He is describing the accident as "unlucky and unlikely".
He also described the Eurocopter EC135 helicopter involved in the crash as the "model of choice" for police forces and civilian aviation companies.
He said it's a "really good machine".
4:25 pm
The Queen has said her thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the police
helicopter crash in Glasgow.
helicopter crash in Glasgow.
4:13 pm
"Until the helicopter is out of the way we don't know what is underneath
Asked whether they are expecting people to be pulled out alive, CC House says "we are still in a rescue and recovery situation."
4:11 pm
Chief Constable Sir Stephen House says "you can imagine the terror" of last night.
He confirmed more than 100 people were in the pub at the time.
He says the pub is "more stable" than it was.
4:09 pm
Alasdair Hay, from Scotland's Fire and Rescue, is also thanking the people of Glasgow for their help last night.
He extends his "heartfelt thanks" and pays particular tribute to colleagues in the other emergency services.
He said the fire service is continuing to search for survivors.
4:05 pm
That was Chief Constable Sir Stephen House who was visibly upset as he reported the deaths of police officers and people who were in the pub.
Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister, is now paying tribute to the emergency services who have been working "tirelessly" to help the rescue operation.
4:03 pm
"Everyone's thoughts and condolences are with the families and friends of those injured," the Chief Constable has said.
The rescue has been described as "complex" and that it is likely to take some time.
The Chief Constable is thanking people Glasgow residents for their "incredible courage" in the aftermath of the incident.
The operation will go on for "many days", police say.
4:01 pm
Police are now giving a press conference now.
The number of fatalities in the incident has risen to eight, it has been confirmed.
Three of these were police officers, they were found in the helicopter.
The remaining five were found in the building.
Fourteen people remain seriously injured in Glasgow hospitals.
A major investigation is underway.
3:57 pm
Couple Iain and Victoria Simpson, who live in a flat overlooking the pub, described how the events unfolded last night.
Mr Simpson told the BBC: "We heard the big bang first of all and looked out. We saw everybody coming out the pub and a lot of dust billowing into the air and realised something had happened.
"You could see the rotor blade and you could see 'police' written on the side of it, so it was fairly obvious it was a helicopter."
He praised the "great response" from the emergency services who, he said, started arriving on the scene within a couple of minutes.
On the pub, he said: "It's always busy. There's a lot of live music and it's a real hub of Glasgow. Last night it would have been really busy. A lot of the other pubs were busy when we were out."
He added: "We were out for a few drinks last night as well so now in the sober light of morning it's all a bit surreal and quite shocking.
"It's not believable that it's actually happened. You don't really think these kind of things happen so close to where you stay."
Ms Simpson told the BBC: "It was quite a shock. We saw a lot of people starting to come out of the pub so we knew that a lot of people were OK.
"Once the emergency services came we saw people starting to be stretchered out.
"We do know that a lot of people were helping. From what we heard, a lot of people who were OK, who were coming out of the pub, were actually helping to bring the injured people back out again.
"It's a very popular place. A lot of people go and it's a very small space as well. It would have been a lot of people packed into a very small space."
She said things could have been "so much worse" if it had not been for the swift response of all the emergency services.
She added: "It will take a long time to come to terms with it but people will come to terms with it. People will pull together."
Pat Connor, 60, was watching from the police cordon.
He said: "I've been in the pub several times playing the banjo and you can only feel for the people that are hurt.
"We saw the police helicopter hovering around here last night but didn't see it go down."
3:47 pm
Police are due to give an update on the situation in Glasgow shortly.
Here's a recap of what we know so far: One person has been confirmed dead after a police helicopter crashed into the packed-out Clutha Vaults pub at 10.25pm last night, although police say they expect the death toll to rise.
32 people have been injured, and are being treated at three hospitals across Glasgow.
It is believed an unknown number of people are still trapped under the rubble, but police could not confirm earlier today whether any of them were still alive.
Eyewitnesses described seeing the helicopter drop from the sky "like a stone", and passersby formed a "human chain" around the pub as they helped casualties escape from the wreckage.
You can find all our coverage on this story from today here.
3:15 pm
The Guardian reports that the company which leases the model of helicopter which crashed into the Clutha temporarily grounded all of the aircraft last year because of safety concerns.
The minutes of a Scottish Ambulance board meeting from April 2012 say Bond Air Services were told of a crack on "the lower hub shaft flange of an EC135 main rotor following a routine inspection".
It goes on to say manufacturer Eurocopter and the Scottish Ambulance Service were told immediately of the problem, which was investigated.
"A replacement component was fitted to the aircraft in question, which subsequently resumed operations for the Scottish Ambulance Service," the minutes added.
The crash was said to have been an "isolated case".
3:07 pm
The Scottish Police Federation has thanked those who are bringing hot meals and drinks to the emergency services working at the crash scene.
Volunteers from the Salvation Amy are also supporting rescue workers through their difficult task.
2:43 pm
Around 250 people have attended a special mass at St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow this afternoon, where those affected by last night's events have been remembered and prayed for.
The BBC said congregation members included Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson and Glasgow East MP Margaret Curran.
Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia told those who attended: "We pray for those who have lost their lives, who are injured, the bereaved, and the emergency service and members of the public.
"We pray for our city of Glasgow, which is in mourning today."
2:08 pm
The British Airline Pilots' Association has said "trends in helicopter safety is a matter of concern", following last night's crash and a number of other recent crashes.
Here's their full statement: "BALPA extends its sympathy to everyone affected in Glasgow last night, especially, of course, to the families of those who have died. We pay tribute to the emergency services for their response.
"Whilst there will be understandable questions on why this happened, it is our experience that speculation about causes is often wide of the mark. The work of the UK’s world-leading Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) will be painstaking and reveal what has happened. From that knowledge we can then as an industry look at what needs to happen to reduce the risk of a repeat.
"Nevertheless trends in helicopter safety is a matter of concern after a number of recent incidents including those in the North Sea. We hope that ongoing inquiries by the CAA and the House of Commons Transport Select Committee into helicopter safety will also have the opportunity to look into the circumstances around last night's incident too."
1:35 pm
An aviation safety expert has been talking about what he believes could have caused the police Eurocopter EC135 T2 to crash.
Flight Global's operations and safety editor David Learmount said something "dramatic" must have suddenly occurred to cause the helicopter to crash, and the pilot would have had either little or no control of his aircraft in the final moments of the flight
But he added that although a witness has described the helicopter as dropping like a stone, there were indications that the pilot might have still had "some ability to fly" before the impact.
Mr Learmount said: "This type of helicopter is sophisticated and robust. It's a very modern aircraft. I think what has happened here is that you have had an aircraft that became either uncontrollable or partially controllable.
"We just don't know how much control the pilot did have in the final seconds of the flight. Something dramatic has probably suddenly occurred - probably some mechanical failure of some kind."
"Helicopters are very mechanically-complicated devices. You only have to look at them to see that. Helicopters can, though, glide. This one was a two-engined aircraft. If you lose one engine you can fly on the other one and if you lose both engines then you can glide.
1:16 pm
Mr McGarrigle has said he believes his father has died in the Clutha crash.
He says eyewitness told him that his father was sitting "right in the spot" where the helicopter came down on the building in Glasgow city centre last night.
Speaking to BBC News from the scene, Mr McGarrigle said his father is "probably lying underneath that helicopter".
He said: "The realisation, and just a deep instinct ... kicked in right away as soon as I heard there was an accident at Clutha. I just knew something bad had happened to him.
"When I came round and seen where the position of the helicopter (was) that was when I knew, because he sat in that spot all the time, where the 'copter hit.
"I am still shaking."
Mr McGarrigle said he unsuccessfully tried to get information from the accident helpline set up for those affected.
12:55 pm
John McGarrigle, 38, is one of those waiting at the police cordon, as he fears for the safety of his father, also John McGarrigle, 59, who was in the Clutha last night.
He has been hoping for news since last night.
He said: "I think he was in there when it crashed. I've checked every hospital and there's no sign of him. I'm very anxious. I'm just going to stand here till I see casualties come out of the building."
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