Seven people on board a tourist helicopter that crashed during a flight to New Zealand's famous Fox Glacier have been confirmed dead by police, according to the Associated Press.
The crash site was found Saturday in a heavily crevassed area on the Fox Glacier by four rescue helicopters, a paramedic and an alpine rescue team, who confirmed that all those on board, including one pilot and six passengers, have been killed, New Zealand Herald reported.
The Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) was notified of the crash at 10.55 a.m. Saturday by the scenic flight company, which told them that an emergency beacon on the chopper had been activated, according to RCC spokesman Vince Cholewa.
Weather experts said that it was raining heavily around the famous tourist spot, and the extreme weather conditions might have contributed to low visibility. Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said the weather conditions on New Zealand's South Island were "terrible."
"It wouldn't be a good day to be flying helicopters," he added.
The deceased have not yet been identified, and efforts to recover the dead bodies have been stalled as a result of the weather. "I'm not going to risk any more lives, we've lost seven," said Police Inspector John Canning, according to Sky News.
The chopper belonged to Alpine Adventures, one of many scenic flight companies that organize sight-seeing flights and helicopter rides around the Fox Glacier for tourists.
