Emergency workers in Scotland yesterday pulled a body from the wreckage of a pub into which a police helicopter crashed during a concert, and were searching for more victims, police said.

Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick, of Police Scotland, said in Glasgow that the final toll would not be certain until the wreckage of the helicopter is removed from the pub.

“Earlier this morning, the body of another person was removed from the incident site,” she told reporters. “Work also continues to recover further bodies from the site. Until we remove the helicopter, we cannot be sure what we will find.”

Twelve people remain in hospital, while eight have been confirmed dead after Friday’s accident, and workers are still trying to remove the smashed helicopter from the Clutha pub and music venue in the city centre, Fitzpatrick said.

Eight confirmed dead in Glasgow

“This is a painstaking process which we expect to take some time because we need to ensure the safety of the operation,” she said.

On Saturday, police said the helicopter’s crew – two police officers and a civilian pilot – were among the dead. Witnesses said the helicopter “dropped like a stone”, crashing into the pub’s roof and causing part of it to collapse onto those inside. One described the scene as “total bedlam”, with people struggling to breathe in the dust-filled venue.

One survivor, Craig Bain, visited the scene yesterday to pay his respects to the dead.

“I just remember waking up and being pulled out by a fireman,” a tearful Bain, his head bandaged, said.

Others laid flowers near the pub.