Video Shows Helicopter Crashing Near Crowded Miami Beach Coast

Three people were injured Saturday when a helicopter crashed into the ocean off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, just feet from the shore.

A video released by Miami Beach Police showed the aircraft, a Robinson R44 helicopter, dive into the Atlantic ocean dangerously close to the crowded beach around 1:10 p.m. Saturday.

Miami Beach Fire House Two officials confirmed to NBC News that three people were injured in the crash and that all three were passengers in the helicopter. The names of three injured were not disclosed.

The pilot is said to be in stable condition and is "doing OK," a spokesperson told NBC News.

The two passengers were in the backseat and suffered broken backs, according to the spokesperson. All three were taken to Jackson Memorial Health in stable condition.

The fire department official said the people in the water at the time of the crash were not injured.

However, the spokesperson added that if the crash had "happened 50 yards more inland," there would have been "a mass casualty event" and that it's "incredible, insane" that no one in the water was injured.

In the aftermath of the incident, the beach area between 9th and 11th Street in Miami Beach was closed. Several agencies were at the scene, including the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the Miami Beach Police Department.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.

"The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates," the FAA said in a statement.

Kaela Berger, a tourist who witnessed the crash, spoke to NBC Miami about the incident.

"We could have been easily hit by it like the damage of that," Berger said. "We saw like a bunch of cops and we saw them driving down from here all the way down to where they are now."