Bodies of B.C. helicopter crash victims still 'in the mountains,' family member says
Four days after a deadly helicopter crash in northern British Columbia, the bodies of the three victims have yet to be recovered from the mountainside, according to the uncle of two men who were aboard the aircraft.
Heiner 'Junior' Oberrauch, 32, and Andreas Widmann, 35, died when the helicopter carrying a group of skiers into the remote backcountry north of Terrace went down around 4:15 p.m. Monday.
The two men were part of a larger group of 15 skiers from the city of Bolzano, Italy, who were aboard three helicopters chartered by ski-tour operator Northern Escape Heli-Skiing.
Oberrauch's brother, Jakob Oberrauch, was injured but survived the crash, as did friends Emilio Zierock and Johannes Peer, according to the Oberrauch family.
One other person, who has not been identified, died in the crash.
An uncle of the two Oberrauch men says the unnamed victim was the pilot and that the fourth injured person was a ski guide on the trip. Northern Escape Heli-Skiing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his statement.
"It was the people seated in the back (of the helicopter) who are alive," the uncle, Heiner Oberrauch, told CTV News in a telephone interview Thursday. "They are all in hospital in Vancouver and are fine."
The B.C. Coroners Service declined to provide any information on the body recovery efforts Friday.
'They are still up in the mountains'
The remote location where the helicopter crashed, approximately 30 kilometres north of Terrace, is only accessible by air, according to Mounties.
The Oberrauch uncle told CTV News that there was a one-hour window in which the authorities could have recovered the remains on Thursday, however the plan was called off due to weather.
"They still can't go up to find the victims because it's too much snow," the uncle said from his home in Italy on Friday, adding the chances of a recovery mission in the days to come appear slim. "They are still up in the mountains."
The Environment Canada weather forecast shows consistent rain or snow over the next seven days in Terrace, which is much closer to sea level than the high alpine region where the helicopter went down.
'He was a great skier'
Zierock, the scion of a well-known winemaking family, was among the most seriously injured. He underwent back surgery Thursday, and all three injured Italians are expected to be able to fly home on Monday or Tuesday, the Oberrauch uncle said.
"The operation was good and they all spoke with their families," he added.
The father of the Oberrauch brothers has been at the hospital in Vancouver since early this week, the uncle said.
Heiner 'Junior' was a member of a mountain rescue team back home in the province of South Tyrol. "He was a great skier," his uncle told CTV News.
The mountain rescue team posted a short memorial to Heiner on social media, expressing "deep condolences" to his family.
Heiner 'Junior' Oberrauch was one of three people killed in a helicopter crash in northern British Columbia on Jan. 22, 2024. (Bergrettung Bozen/Facebook)
'They waited over half an hour'
Mounties say the downed helicopter lost communication with the other two helicopters before it was found crashed into a snowfield.
It was an injured Jakob who called for help from the wreckage of the helicopter, according to his uncle.
"They waited over half an hour for the other helicopter to pick them up," he said.
After receiving the emergency call, 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 Tuesday.
"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."
CTV News spoke briefly with Thomas Widmann, the uncle of crash victim Andreas Widmann. However, the uncle, from his home in Italy, asked not to be formally interviewed Thursday, citing the English-Italian language barrier.
The helicopter that crashed belongs to Skyline Helicopters, based in Kelowna, B.C.
Police and the coroners service have not confirmed the identities of those killed or injured in the crash, nor have the companies involved in the incident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.