Seven dead in New Zealand glacier helicopter crash

Seven people died after a helicopter crashed Saturday, November 21, 2015 on the Fox Glacier on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, New Zealand police said.

Nine people – five New Zealanders and tourists from Australia, England, Ireland and Germany died – when a skydiving plane crashed shortly after take-off at Fox Glacier airport in 2010. It did not give the pilot’s nationality.

Searchers are contending with hard conditions on the glacier, and police said Sunday afternoon that the recovery efforts had been halted because of deteriorating weather.

“Police have been liaising with the embassies of the countries concerned to ensure the next of kin are advised of the situation”, they said.

Police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn confirmed the recovery operation was underway on Fox Glacier.

New Zealand relies on tourism as a major source of revenue but has been criticised by a few people as having lax safety standards.

Mr Northcote says the method of removing the crashed helicopter will “depend on the integrity of the parts of the wreckage when we actually get to be able to look at them close up”.

He added: “Our thoughts are with the victims’ families at this hard time”.

Four crash investigators from the Transport Accident Investigation Commission are expected to begin reviewing the site.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said that she had spoken to the families of the two Australians believed to have been on board.

The aircraft came down and landed in a crevasse on the Fox Glacier, on the country’s South Island, on Saturday morning at about 11:00 local time.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and we’re very sorry to hear about the accident”, he said.

New Zealand Police said it would coordinate the recovery and scene examination, which is likely to take days.

The clouds are still hanging low over Fox Glacier tonight, and for the Gameren family there is now the agonising wait for their beloved Mitch to be brought home.

It is understood the company running the helicopter flight was called Alpine Adventures, and the aircraft was one of their Scenic Flights Eurocopter 6 “Squirrel” helicopters.

Police said in a statement that the hard terrain had prevented rescuers from reaching the wreck, but that they believed all six tourists along with the pilot had been killed.

In an emotional tribute on Facebook, his sister Brooke said: ‘Today we lost a champion.

“I am so blessed to have a brother like you”.