Two men and two women from a remote Manitoba First Nation died Saturday when the bush plane they were in crashed, leaving the pilot and sole survivor with serious injuries.
RCMP say their detachment in Island lake, Man., got a report on Saturday evening that a plane had crashed approximately 40 kilometres south of St. Theresa Point First Nation, near its destination of Makepeace Lake.
Sgt. Paul Manaigre said police were informed of the crash by an iPhone satellite emergency crash notification service, which he said was able to pinpoint the location for police.
St. Theresa Point is a fly-in community, and police knew they'd need to reach the crash site by air.
"With the co-ordinates in hand, the RCMP chartered a helicopter and were able to bring an officer in there," Manaigre said.
"This helicopter did have to land about 500 metres away and the officer had to hike to the scene," he added, noting it was well past dark by the time the helicopter was airborne and the Mountie had to make his way from the chopper on foot.
Police said search-and-rescue personnel from CFB Trenton were also dispatched, and two technicians parachuted in after the Mountie.
Two men aged 53 and 49 and two women who were both 50, all from St. Theresa Point First Nation, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the pilot, a 20-year-old man, is expected to survive.
The Transportation Safety Board, which said it is gathering information about the crash, said the plane was a float-equipped DeHavilland DHC-2, known as a Beaver. The type is a single-engine aircraft that first took flight in the 1940s.
An email from the TSB said the agency was still determining whether to deploy investigators to the site.
A man who answered the phone Sunday at Alair MHA Enterprises, whose website says operates six planes — two of them Beavers — out of St. Theresa Point, confirmed the plane that crashed belonged to the company but he would not provide further details.
In a statement on Facebook, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs sent condolences to the families of the victims, and to their community.
"We grieve with you. The loss of community members in such a sudden and devastating way is felt across all our Nations. In this time of heartbreak, we stand with St. Theresa Point, holding up the families and community in prayer, love, and strength," the post said.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, meanwhile, said he'd spoken with the First Nation's chief, Raymond Flett, to offer his condolences on behalf of the people of Winnipeg.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
