A small plane registered to Northwestern Air Lease crashed Tuesday near Fort Smith in Canada's remote Northwest Territories. According to local sources, at least ten people lost their lives out of the eleven who were on board the charter flight (nine passengers and two crew members). There is one survivor, although his condition is unknown.
"It is with a heavy heart that I express my deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those on board the Northwestern Air flight that crashed today outside Fort Smith," said Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson said in a statement.
Fort Smith Health Center said it activated its mass casualty protocol early this morning in response to "an aviation incident near the community." Three Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons supported search and rescue efforts for the plane, which was found near the Slave River after contact was lost shortly after takeoff near Fort Smith, said Maxime Cliche, public affairs officer for the Royal Canadian Air Force. the Canadian Armed Forces.
Mining company Rio Tinto said several of its staff were on the BAE Jetstream plane heading to its Diavik diamond mine, 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife. “As a business, we are absolutely devastated by this news and offer our full support to our people and the community who are grieving today.” A team of investigators has been deployed to the area.
The crash comes a day after three people were killed and four others were seriously injured in a helicopter crash in neighboring British Columbia. The city of Fort Smith is about 2,100 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia, near the border between Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
