2 survivors of deadly B.C. helicopter crash remain in critical condition, 2 others now serious
Two people injured in a deadly helicopter crash Monday in northwestern British Columbia remain in critical condition, while two others have been upgraded to serious condition, according to health officials.
The downed aircraft was one of three helicopters carrying heli-skiiers into the remote and mountainous backcountry when it went down around 4:15 p.m., approximately 30 kilometres north of Terrace, killing three.
Mounties say the helicopter lost communication with the others before it was found crashed into a snowfield. The two remaining helicopters landed and were able to rescue the four survivors from the wreckage and shuttle them to paramedics who transferred them to hospital.
"All the scheduled communications were happening according to our protocols" John Forrest, the president of Terrace-based heli-ski operator Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, said in a statement.
"During the time between scheduled calls, we received radio communications from a guest involved in the helicopter accident that the incident had occurred. We activated our rescue protocols, including immediately ceasing all skiing activities and activating search and rescue."
Cause of crash still 'unclear'
B.C. Emergency Health Services says three air ambulances and five ground ambulances were dispatched to treat the victims, who were all in critical condition in a Terrace hospital Monday night.
Terrace's Mills Memorial Hospital declared a Code Orange to deal with the mass-casualty situation, according to health officials.
A spokesperson for B.C.'s Northern Health region tells CTV News that all four crash survivors have been transferred to other hospitals in B.C. to receive "higher levels of care."
"At this time, two of those patients are considered to be in critical condition, two in serious condition," spokesperson Eryn Collins said Tuesday.
"Northern Health will not be providing further or ongoing updates on the patients' conditions or other potentially identifying information, in order to protect their privacy as they receive care and recover from a traumatic experience," she added.
Terrace Mayor Sean Bujtas said the incident has been "absolutely devastating" to his city, located in the Skeena region on B.C.'s central coast.
"The community's grieving. It's a tough loss," Bujtas said. "Our hearts bleed for those folks."
The mayor thanked all the first responders who were "all hands on deck" after the crash until all the survivors were being cared for in hospital.
"Our firefighters were there, our search and rescue were there," Bujtas said. "I'm just really grateful for the work those folks do, and did."
Mounties said police and coroners were en route to the crash scene, which is only accessible by helicopter, on Tuesday morning.
"It is impossible to put into words the profound grief that we feel and the sorrow that our guests and our staff share," Forrest said, noting the company would work closely with police and other agencies investigating the cause of the crash, which he described as still "unclear" Tuesday.
'Profound grief'
Skyline Helicopters, the Kelowna, B.C.-based operator of the downed aircraft, issued its own statement Tuesday, expressing "heartfelt condolences to the families and friends" affected by the incident.
"Words cannot convey the profound grief we feel," said Skyline president Teri Northcott. "We appreciate the swift response from external agencies, first responders, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing and our team following the accident yesterday."
Italian news agency ANSA quoted sources saying Italian nationals were among the dead, including Andreas Widmann and Heiner Junior Oberrauch, whose brother Jakob Oberrauch was also injured in the crash. Jakob Oberrauch is the CEO of outdoor clothing company Sportler Group.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it is deploying a team of investigators to gather information from the crash site.
WorkSafeBC is also engaged in the investigation, according to the RCMP.
"At this time, names and hometowns of the deceased will not be released as we work to notify next of kin," North District RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said. "No further details are available at this time."
Industry group HeliCat Canada says each of its member operators, including Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, undergo a safety audit every five years.
"Although these fatalities are rare, it breaks our heart to have them occur," the industry association said in a statement.
"Like many outdoor activities, it's impossible to eliminate 100 per cent of the risk, but our industry does its best to mitigate it with our world-class knowledge and expertise to ensure guests can enjoy the beauty and unique experience of helicopter and snowcat skiing."
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kaija Jussinoja
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.