Police in west-central British Columbia have confirmed a heli-skiing helicopter crash Monday has killed three occupants of the aircraft and injured four others. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
TERRACE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA – An industry group for helicopter skiing operators says it’s an inherently risky activity but that doesn’t lessen the loss after a crash police say killed three people and badly injured four in west-central British Columbia on Monday.
Terrace RCMP have confirmed seven people were aboard the Northern Escape Heli-Skiing helicopter when it went down about 50 kilometres northwest of the city.
Police say two other helicopters on the backcountry ski trip lost contact with the downed aircraft on Monday afternoon before spotting the crash site.
Terrace Mayor Sean Bujtas says on social media that the four injured people were in critical condition when they arrived at the city’s Mills Memorial Hospital, which declared a mass-casualty Code Orange event over the crash.
HeliCat Canada, an industry association of helicopter and snowcat skiing firms, says the risk in the activities doesn’t “decrease our sadness.”
It says in a statement that eliminating all risk is “impossible,” but the “industry does its best to mitigate” it with knowledge and expertise.
“Although these fatalities are rare, it breaks our heart to have them occur.
“An accident like this is a tragic loss that impacts everyone, including the operators, guests, communities and our entire industry,” HeliCat Canada’s statement said.
The trade group’s statement said the industry is governed by a “sophisticated and robust regulatory environment,” involving regular audits and safety standards.
The association said it activated a peer group known as the “mountain community critical incident stress management” to “support Northern Escape Heli-Skiing in their response to this traumatic event.”
RCMP said Tuesday that the four injured people were in hospital in serious condition.
Premier David Eby thanked first responders in a social media post, and said news of the crash is “heartbreaking” and British Columbians were thinking of victims’ families.
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, based in Terrace, said in a news release Monday that three people died when one of its helicopters crashed, but didn’t say how many others were aboard.
Police say the BC Coroners Service, the Transportation Safety Board and WorkSafeBC are also involved, and investigators will be flown to the remote site to investigate the crash.
The identities of the victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
On Monday, B.C. Emergency Health Services said three air and five ground ambulances were sent to the crash scene.
Northern Escape said in its news release that it had contacted the critical incident stress management team from HeliCat Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2024.
