6 people killed, 1 survivor after Northwest Territories plane crash: coroner’s office

globalnews.ca:

Six people were killed and only one person survived after a plane crashed Tuesday near Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, according to the chief coroner for the territory.

The plane crash occurred near the boundary between the territory and Alberta.

In a news release issued Wednesday morning, the coroner’s office said four passengers were among the dead, as well as two Northwestern Air Lease crew members.

The lone survivor was taken to Fort Smith Health Centre before being airlifted to Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.

The coroner’s office said it is working with partners to “access the site and begin the recovery process.”

In an update provided just after noon local time on Wednesday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued a preliminary report about the crash, describing it as an “accident.”

The government agency said that shortly after taking off from a runway at Fort Smith Airport, “the aircraft collided with terrain.”

“There was a post-impact fire and the aircraft was destroyed,” the TSB said Wednesday. “This morning, the TSB deployed a team of four investigators who are expected to arrive on site later today.

“We are currently in the field phase of our investigation. During this phase, the team will gather information and assess the occurrence in accordance with our classification policy.”

On Tuesday, the mining firm Rio Tinto said that a number of its staff were on the plane and that it was headed to the Diavik Diamond Mine, about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife.

In a statement issued Wednesday, CEO Jakob Stausholm confirmed authorities told the company that four Rio Tinto team members were among the dead and that a member of its team is the survivor.

“We are feeling numb with the