A plane crash in western Newfoundland on Friday claimed the life of a 24-year-old woman and critically injured another occupant of the aircraft, police said.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said a non-commercial, high-wing aircraft crashed around 2:15 p.m. on Aug. 9, on the southern shore of the Bay of Islands.
This area is in the Blow Me Down Mountains and is not accessible by foot, police said.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) dispatched a team of investigators and said the aircraft was a Cessna 337H operated by Sasair Inc.
There were four individuals onboard the plane from Quebec, police said. A 24-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and a medical examiner was to investigate and determine the cause of death.
A 26-year-old man was rushed to hospital for treatment of critical injuries, and two women were treated for moderate injuries, police said.
The plane was contracted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) at the time, a spokesperson for the Halifax Joint Rescue Coordination Centre told CBC News.
Three occupants of the aircraft were DFO employees, including the woman who died. They were on a scientific mission to survey marine mammals and were working at the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute in Quebec, CBC reported.
“Words cannot describe the tragedy that occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador yesterday,” said Diane Lebouthillier, federal minister of fisheries and oceans, in a social media post.
“As we mourn today the loss of a friend, a colleague, one of us, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. My thoughts are also with her colleagues injured in the accident, and I wish them a full and speedy recovery.”
Authorities said a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter was deployed for search and rescue after the plane crash.
