A tour helicopter crashed in rainy weather on an island off the Southern California coast Saturday morning, killing three people and injuring three others, a county sheriff's deputy said.

The helicopter went down on the west end of Santa Catalina Island near Two Harbors, causing a small fire that was quickly doused, authorities said. Helicopters airlifted two women and a man to mainland hospitals.

Two of the injured were in critical condition, Los Angeles county sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. The crash killed two men and one woman immediately, said fire officials. Their identities were not released.

The Eurocopter AS 350 chopper was a private tour aircraft from Island Express, Deputy Chuck Upton said.

Federal Aviation Administration records show the helicopter departed from Long Beach and was scheduled to return to that city. The crash occurred less than an hour after the helicopter picked up passengers on the island. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

The island is 21 miles south of the California shore, near Los Angeles. It is a popular weekend destination for boating, snorkeling and camping.

The crash occurred near the Banning House lodge, which overlooks a popular boating spot. A woman who answered the phone at the lodge confirmed reports that the chopper's engine appeared to quit, crashing about 200 to 300 yards inland in grass.

In a telephone interview, Rayn Horth, 14, said she sprinted to the site of the crash from a nearby yacht club where her family was staying. She said her mother, Deborah Hansen helped pull survivors from the debris.

"I just saw the helicopter in flames, and basically there was black smoke everywhere," Horth said. "It was still on fire, with all this black smoke and it was making popping noises."

An Island Express sightseeing chopper made a hard landing on the island in 1999, slightly injuring six tourists.

The company provides charters and tours to the island and other Southern California destinations, according to the company's Web site. The company also does movie and television work and services offshore oil platforms.

(Agencies via China Daily May 25, 2008)