The bodies of six people have been found after a helicopter crashed at the top of a mountain on Hawaii, authorities have said according to various media reports. The helicopter was carrying a pilot and six passengers from two families, two of whom were believed to be minors, a statement from the Coast Guard said.
SkyNews reports that officials said on Friday there was no indication of any survivors and that a search for the last person on the aircraft would resume on Saturday morning.
DW reports that the search for the chopper began on Thursday evening, but low visibility, rain and choppy seas in the remote north of Kauai island has made rescue efforts challenging.
“Those conditions are not ideal,” Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir said.
A boat and a helicopter were sent to scour the area when the helicopter company raised an alarm around 40 minutes after the tour of Kauai’s Na Pali Coast was due back on Thursday evening, the release added.
CNN reports that the crash occurred along the usual route that the tour helicopters fly, Kanoho said. The helicopter went down about 13 miles north of the city of Hanapepe, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Stars and Stripes reports that according to a preliminary report, the pilot said the tour was leaving the Waimea Canyon area, known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” about 4:40 p.m., which was the last contact with the helicopter, Kauai police said.
The Eurocopter AS350 has an emergency electronic locator transmitter, but no signals were received. The locator devices are designed to activate when an aircraft crashes, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said in an email.
Via Sky News / DW / Stars and Stripes / CNN
Photo – Tim World (Twitter)
