In brief
A private helicopter burned to the ground near Sainte‑Brigide‑d'Iberville, 50 km northwest of Montreal, killing all four people aboard. Emergency crews arrived at about 2:30 p.m. and extinguished the fire, but the occupants were already deceased. The Sûreté du Québec’s Major Crime Unit, working with the Transportation Safety Board, is leading the investigation. Victims remain unidentified; authorities say it may take several days before names are released. The crash site was cleared by midnight before evidence was handed over to a coroner.
A private helicopter went down in a small town 50 km (31 miles) from Montreal, Quebec’s provincial police said, killing all four people aboard.
Emergency services were called to Sainte‑Brigide‑d'Iberville shortly after 2:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. GMT) on Saturday. They found the aircraft on fire and declared the occupants dead at the scene.
The victims have not yet been identified, police said. The helicopter appears to have been a private aircraft, according to Sgt Audrey‑Anne Bilodeau.
Investigation is being led by the Major Crime Unit of the Sûreté du Québec, working alongside investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. The crash site was near the Rang des Écossais road off Highway 10, the police added.
The helicopter was reported in distress and may have crashed and caught fire. An hour after the call, the fire at the site had been brought under control, but officials were still working there just before 10:00 p.m. local time.
Victims remain unidentified, and the identification process may take a few days, police said.
