A tourist helicopter has crashed in the Grand Canyon in Arizona, leaving three people dead and a further four injured.
Three people are confirmed dead after a helicopter carrying six passengers and a pilot crashed in the Grand Canyon, police say https://t.co/UNz4XbpIAS pic.twitter.com/ve6HYeGW0b
— CNN (@CNN) February 11, 2018
Six passengers were aboard the Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper at about 5:20pm on Saturday when it crashed near Quartermaster Canyon, which is near the Grand Canyon’s West Rim.
Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said that the survivors were taken to a hospital in Las Vegas. They were airlifted while crews on the ground attempted to recover the bodies of those who died.
“We are in the recovery and investigation mode now,” Bradley said.
The police chief said that a specialist crew with night-vision goggles had to be sent in for the rescue thanks to the conditions.
The National Weather Service estimates wind conditions were about 16 kilometres per hour with gusts of 32 kilometres per hour when the helicopter crashed.
According to the Associated Press, calls and emails to Pappillion were not being responded to today.
The company’s website says they operate at safety levels that “substantially exceed the regulations,” though one of their helicopters crashed back in 2001, killing the pilot and four passengers.
