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Fox Glacier Helicopter Crash: Horrific Accident Claims The Lives Of Seven People [Report]

By Christian Savoy
Published on: 01:27 PST, Nov 22, 2015

The tragic Fox Glacier helicopter crash that occurred on Saturday claimed the lives of seven people, and police have now released the identities of the six passengers and the pilot who were aboard the sightseeing helicopter that crashed on a glacier in New Zealand. Four of the passengers were British tourists, and the other two were Australians.

According to a report from the New Zealand Herald, the victims were identified as Britons Nigel Charlton, 66, and Cynthia Charlton, 70, of Hampshire, and Katharine Walker, 51, and Andrew Virco, 50, of Cambridge. The two victims from Syndney, Australia, who died were 27-year-old Sovannmony Leang and Josephine Gibson, 29. The New Zealand pilot was identified as 28-year-old Mitchell Gameren of Queenstown.

Rescue efforts to recover the bodies were carried out on Sunday. Debris from the wrecked helicopter was spread over hundreds of feet. Authorities told news outlets that the rescue was especially difficult because the main part of the helicopter was wedged between massive blocks of ice. Police also said in a statement that the rugged terrain caused significant problems and made the operation “extremely challenging.”

Citing a report from Fox News, Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn told media sources that the weather was “not ideal for helicopter flying,” with intermittent rain showers and low clouds. He also said that the region had been experiencing a bumpier start to the Southern Hemisphere tourist season, and bad weather had been putting pressure on some tourist operators.

“It can be a fine line,” Kokshoorn was quoted as saying. “Operators are doing their best to get people up there, but obviously something went badly wrong.”

He said that the glaciers in recent years have been retreating, and that the only way to view them up close is by helicopter. He said operators offer different packages, and a basic trip typically involves a 10-minute flight to the top of the glacier, where tourists can walk around for about a half-hour before returning.

Inspector John Canning, who was involved in the rescue effort, gave the following statement regarding the crash.

“We have been to the site and there is no sign of life and tomorrow we hope to recover the bodies of those involved,” Canning said. “I’m not going to risk any more lives, we’ve lost seven,” he explained, before adding that “the top of the glacier is heavily crevassed, very rough country, and it’s going to take a lot of care to get the people out of there. It’s quite dangerous.”

Peter Northcote, a spokesman for the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, said the helicopter was ferrying tourists at the time of the crash. He said a team of investigators was planning to survey the scene over the coming days, the report states.

Over the years, there have been several tragic accidents at Fox Glacier. In 2010, nine people died when a plane carrying skydivers and tourists crashed near the huge mass of ice. Two Australian tourists, Ashish Miranda and Akshay Miranda, were killed a year before the aforementioned accident. They were crushed to death when more than 100 tons of ice fell on them. Reportedly, the pair was not part of a guided group and had crossed safety barriers to walk nearly 500 meters to the terminal face in order to take a photo.

Fox Glacier is over eight miles long, and it is located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park. It is a popular tourist destination on New Zealand’s South Island mainly because of its scenic views.

[Image via video screenshot]

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