Helicopter carrying seven people crashes on Fox Glacier in New Zealand

New Zealand police confirmed the victims include four British tourists, and two Australians, as well as the pilot.

Formal identification of those killed would take a few time, a spokesperson added.

Heartland Hotel and Misty Peaks Boutique around Fox Glacier reported seeing rescue helicopters in the area.

Glacier Country Tourism Group member Chris Alexander said emergency services had tried “their damnedest” to reach the scene.

He would not comment on the nationalities of those aboard the helicopter.

The eight-mile (13km) glacier is the longest on the west coast of the South Island, travelling from the edge of the Mount Cook National Park in the Southern Alps towards the Tasman Sea coast.

Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said weather conditions in the area were “terrible”.

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission said it would investigate the cause of the crash and had sent four investigators to Fox Glacier.

UPDATE 3: The rescue team is now in contact with the British and Australian embassies reaching out to help find the kin of the deceased to inform and update them of the situation.

Inspector John Canning said the helicopter was found in an icy crevasse 2,500ft up the valley, so recovery would be hard in the risky terrain.

Four tourists – from Ireland, Australia, Germany and England – were among those killed.

A helicopter carrying crew from ONE News heads for the West Coast following this morning’s fatal crash.

“It was not ideal for helicopter flying”, he told the AP news agency.

Police issued a statement reporting a paramedic and alpine cliff rescuer had been winched down to investigate the crash site halfway up the glacier early in the afternoon.

TVNZ producer Suzanne Burgess said search and rescue operations were initially hampered by a considerable amount of low cloud.