Tourists killed in New Zealand helicopter crash
Four British tourists and two from Australia have died after a sightseeing helicopter crashed into a New Zealand glacier.
The remote location and weather conditions hampered initial search attempts on Saturday, but NZ police said three bodies were eventually recovered by late Sunday.
Police released an aerial image of the crashed chopper wedged into a crevice on Fox glacier and a spokesman said: "The operation is extremely challenging and the safety of those working at the scene is of paramount importance."
"It’s at the top of the glacier and it is heavily crevassed, so very rough country and it is going to take a lot of care to get all the people out of there," added police inspector John Canning.
Alpine Adventures, which operated the aerial sightseeing tours, confirmed it was carrying six tourists.
The four British passengers were named as Andrew Virco, 50, and Katharine Walker, 51, from Cambridge, and Nigel and Helen Charlton, aged 66 and 70, from Hampshire, reports the BBC.
A seventh victim is the Kiwi pilot, who has been officially named as Mitch Gameren, 28.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is on site investigating the cause of the crash, while authorities confirmed all six tourists’ next of kin have been informed.
This latest accident comes five years after nine people died when a skydiving plane crashed on the same glacier.
Diane
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