6 people dead in Tuesday's plane crash near Fort Smith, N.W.T., says coroner
One person survived and has been transported to Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife
Six people died in a plane crash Tuesday near Fort Smith, N.W.T., the territory's coroner service has confirmed.
On Wednesday morning, the coroner's service said four passengers and two Northwestern Air Lease crew members had been killed.
One person survived and has been transported to Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.
The plane crashed shortly after taking off for the Diavik diamond mine, which is about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. Mining company Rio Tinto said it had employees on the aircraft.
Survivor and victim identified
One of the victims is Howie Benwell, 30, his sister Crystal confirmed to CBC.
Crystal described her brother as a local musician with a great sense of humour.
Kurt Macdonald survived the crash, his father told CBC News. Jay Macdonald said Kurt is an electrician at the Diavik mine, and is the father of a five-month-old son with his fiancée, Dominique.
Jay said his son has a great sense of humour, a big heart and would do anything for his family.
In a statement posted to Facebook Wednesday afternoon, Northwestern Air Lease offered its sympathies to those affected by the crash.
"Please give everyone time to grieve the loss of our treasured coworkers, friends, family and community members. During this difficult period let us be there for each other so we can get through this together," the airline stated.
In an interview, chief coroner Garth Eggenberger said his team waited until today to announce the number of survivors and deceased because they wanted to be "absolutely sure of the numbers" and wanted to notify their families first.
He added his team is in Fort Smith and will be working with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and RCMP to investigate the crash.
Though Eggenberger said his team would be sharing more information when they're ready, he added the full investigation could take upwards of a year.
His report should be done within a year, he noted, but his office has to wait for the TSB to issue its final report before finalizing his own.
'Support one another'
Fort Smith's recreation centre is open for anyone who doesn't want to be alone, the town said in a news release.
"We understand that you may not wish to be alone right now, that you may want to talk about it with others that are experiencing the same feelings of grief and trauma," the mayor and council said in a statement issued Wednesday morning.
"So feel free to drop by for a hot beverage and some conversation."
The statement said the mayor and council are "deeply saddened" by the losses.
"These people are treasured members of our community and their loss touches everyone," they wrote.
Eggenberger said he, too, would encourage people to go down to the recreation centre and sit down with a counsellor there.
"Sometimes, trauma comes out in strange ways," he said. "If you're feeling a little uncomfortable, maybe go visit and have a talk and support one another down there."
On Wednesday morning, the City of Yellowknife issued a statement extending its condolences to the families and friends of those on board the plane.
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy," stated Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty.
"As a community, we mourn with you for the lives of those lost, and we offer our support during this incredibly difficult time."
The city urged anyone affected by the tragedy and needing emotional support to reach out to loved ones, call 811 or access support services listed on the Health and Social Services Authority website.
The British Aerospace Jetstream aircraft registered to Northwestern Air Lease crashed shortly after take-off about 500 metres from the end of the Fort Smith Regional Airport's runway, according to the coroner.
The TSB says it is investigating the incident.
With files from Julie Plourde