CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two people have died in a helicopter crash near a North Carolina interstate highway, authorities said.

Mecklenburg County EMS service said on Twitter Tuesday that two people were pronounced dead at the scene of the helicopter crash along Interstate 77 in the Charlotte area.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that two people were on board the Robinson R44 helicopter.

The FAA also said that it and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, with the NTSB in charge of the investigation.

The crash shut down southbound lanes of the Interstate, the Charlotte Observer reported.