Three people dead in heli ski crash north of Terrace, B.C.

Three people died in a heli ski helicopter crash in Northern British Columbia on Monday afternoon.

In a statement, Northern Escape Heli Skiing said three people were killed when one of its aircraft crashed in the mountains north of Terrace, sometime around 4 p.m.

The company did not provide any additional details about the people who died.

“The guests who ski with us and the staff who work with us each season are part of our family,” John Forrest, president and general manager of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing said in a statement.

“It is impossible to put into words the profound grief that we feel and the sorrow that our guests and our staff share. We hope you will respect the privacy of those impacted at this extremely difficult time.”

BC Emergency Health Services said it deployed multiple primary care, advanced care and critical care paramedics, including three air ambulances and five ground ambulances.

Four patients were transported to Mills Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

The helicopter was an Augusta A119 Koala, which can carry up to eight people.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria said it had been notified of the crash, and that a CH-149 Cormorant from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Comox was on standby to assist if needed.

Northern Escape Heli-Skiing also confirmed it has contacted HeliCat Canada’s Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team, which will be deployed to support those involved in this incident.

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