Three people have been killed, and four others left in critical condition after a helicopter carrying a group of skiers crashed in the Canadian province of British Columbia on Monday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that the aircraft went down at about 4:15 pm.
The downed aircraft was one of three helicopters carrying heli-skiers into the rugged backcountry. Four survivors were rescued from the crash site by the two other helicopters.
The province's emergency health services sent three air ambulances and five ground ambulances to treat the victims in critical condition. The paramedics transferred the survivors to a hospital 50 km away in Terrace.
The police reported that seven people were on board the helicopter. A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter was also dispatched by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, the provincial capital, to assist at the crash site.
British Columbia premier David Eby thanked the emergency services in a social media post. He said that the news of the crash is "heartbreaking," and people in the province are thinking of the families of those who died.
Canadian authorities are also investigating the crash, including British Columbia's coroners' service, the Transportation Safety Board, and WorkSafeBC.
Helicopter Incidents in British Columbia
Heli-skiing is a popular but expensive winter activity in the province that draws skiers to the pristine, mountainous backcountry. The terrain typically poses the biggest risk to skiers, with hidden crevasses, rocks, and avalanches a looming threat.
"Helicopter accidents are rare but do pose a risk to people who heli-ski in the mountains and backcountry," the Northern Escape Heli-Skiing said. The company added that it takes every precaution to minimize the risks while being in the backcountry but admitted that it is impossible to eliminate 100% of the risks posed.
Northern Escape stated that it was collaborating with the RCMP and other agencies, such as the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service, to determine the cause of the crash.
The crash marks the second deadly helicopter incident in as many weeks after one went down near the mountain town of Revelstoke in British Columbia that killed the pilot.
In June 2017, a single-engine plane landed briefly at British Columbia's Cranbrook airport. Alex Simons, the Canadian pilot, along with his girlfriend, Sydney Robillard, had stopped to refuel the Piper Warrior, a rented plane famous for training, before continuing westward.
The couple was informed that flying conditions over a nearby mountain range suddenly deteriorated as a storm set in after they struggled to get payment accepted for the gasoline.
Simons left with less than 100 hours of flight experience for Kamloops, British Columbia. However, the aircraft never arrived.
Rescue crews combed the rugged landscape of south-eastern British Columbia for two weeks, but they were unable to find anything.
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