A number of youths narrowly escaped serious harm after a military helicopter door fell from the sky and crashed into a busy Dublin village.
A witness said that that the door plunged from the aircraft into the grounds of Moyle Park College in Clondalkin, south Dublin.
The door fell to the ground in an 'almighty thud' after initially colliding with the roof of a building next door.
The gate to the school was open, and youths were inside on the GAA pitches beside the school building when the terrifying incident occurred, Dublin Live reports.
Shocked onlookers screamed in horror as the kids ran away from the falling door.
It travelled over the main centre of Clondalkin Village, home to several essential service shops, including a Tesco with a packed car park, before colliding with the building.
Luckily, nobody was injured in the incident.
"I saw something, it didn't look like it was that heavy, it was just swirling around," a source said.
"I initially thought it went through the roof and into the building.
"I didn't know if anyone had been hurt, and I was literally in the car park in Tesco screaming across: 'Look up! Look up! Get out of there!'
"The way it was swirling, you'd never know where it would have hit. You would have been brown bread if it had have hit you.
"Then I saw, Jesus Christ, it was a door!
"It was nearly over The Laurels Pub when it came off, and it landed in Moyle Park, that's how much it moved in the air.
"But Jesus, if it had landed in the car park or on Tesco... It bounced with an almighty bang when it hit the roof."
Gardai have closed off the scene at the college.
Gardai and the military have both been contacted about the incident.
The Defence Forces later said in a statement: "At approximately 5.52pm this evening, Thursday 21st May, the rear door of an Emergency Aeromedical Service helicopter detached while returning to Casement Aerodrome and landed in Moyle Park, Clondalkin.
"Nobody on the ground, or in the air, was injured in the incident.
"The crew of the AW139 helicopter had successfully completed a life saving mission to a Dublin hospital and were returning to Baldonnel for fuel.
"The area in which the door fell was secured by Defence Forces personnel and An Garda Siochana within five minutes of the incident and an investigation team were on scene within thirty minutes.
"Once the area has been analysed the door will be removed and transported to Baldonnel. The EAS service will recommence tomorrow, as normal, with a replacement aircraft and crew.
"A full investigation will be conducted into the cause of this incident."
