Achi news desk-
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, BC, on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Early Saturday afternoon, the Squamish RCMP said they had not yet been able to access the crash site to confirm any details. Search and rescue crews and the Canadian Forces Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria were called in, and the BC Coroner’s Service was notified.
On Sunday, police said they traveled to the crash site, which is located south of Squamish on the west side of Howe Sound.
“Once on site, it was unfortunately confirmed that the two occupants of the aircraft did not survive,” Mounties wrote in a news release.
Police said they are working with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the BC Coroner’s Service to investigate the cause of the crash.
“The RCMP would like to thank Squamish Search and Rescue, Blackcomb Helicopters and several members of the public who were integral in locating and accessing the crash site,” the release wrote.
Police said they were alerted to the crash on Friday night by an automatic crash notification from a smartphone. When asked for his response, the JRCC told CTV News that it was notified of a “delayed private plane” shortly before 6:30 p.m.
The JRCC dispatched a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-130 Hercules aircraft to search for the small aircraft, focusing on and around Mount Ellesmere.
Shortly after they were dispatched on Friday night, the Cormorant and Hercules returned to base “due to increasingly challenging weather,” the JRCC said, adding that the RCMP had notified, on Saturday, that its resources were no longer needed.
With files from Ian Holliday CTV News Vancouver
This is a developing story and will be updated.
