Four English and two Australian tourists as well as their New Zealand pilot died when the helicopter plunged into the heavily crevassed glacier during bad weather on Saturday.
Advertisement
All six passengers and the pilot have been killed in the crash that took place over the popular tourist spot Fox Glacier located to the west of New Zealand’s South Island, according police.
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said the weather was bare at the period of the crash, with low clouds and occasional rain showers.
The crash site was reached by saving teams in helicopters but found no indication of survivors, rescue coordinators said.
Mr Gameran, he said, had worked at the company for about six years and was as a “very valued member” of the team.
Inspector John Canning talking about the Fox Glacier chopper crash. “We are liaising closely with local authorities, and are providing consular assistance to the families of those affected”, a FCO spokesperson said in a statement.
The accident is not the first in New Zealand’s ice fields, an area of natural beauty that attracts many tourists and where dozens of local guides and tour operators work.
A spokesman for the helicopter company involved in the fatal crash on Fox Glacier has given a heartfelt message to the victims as police postpone the recovery of the four bodies remaining at the crash site.
The alarm was raised late on Saturday morning when an emergency locator beacon was activated.
He said that the glaciers in recent years had been retreating and that the only way to view them up close is by helicopter.
“Most people are aware there is a degree of risk when you get in a helicopter”.
The pilot of the single-engine Squirrel helicopter was Mitchell Gameren, 28, from Queenstown, New Zealand.
Police have named the seven people they believe were on board the helicopter.
Police say the recovery operation is extremely challenging and the safety of those at the scene is of paramount importance.
“We have winched staff down to the crash scene and recovered a few bodies, then the weather closed in, we have not started the disaster victim identification scene examination yet”.
Police are now planning a recovery operation tomorrow and will provide an update of the situation in the morning.
Advertisement
Fox Glacier is 13 kilometres long and described as one of the world’s most accessible glaciers for thrill seekers and explorers.
