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Rescue services in Norway rescued six people from the water on Wednesday evening after a helicopter crashed into the sea. One of the occupants has since died, police report.
Source: BELGA, Reuters, VG, NRK
Today at 6:41 am
The rescue services reported just after 9 p.m. that they had rescued five people from the sea. Shortly afterwards they said a sixth person had been pulled from the water.
All six occupants, including two pilots, were taken to Haukeland University Hospital. At around 12:30 a.m., police announced that one person had died. The next of kin have been informed.
One occupant was slightly injured, the four others suffered “varying degrees of injuries”, according to a hospital spokesperson. “I can’t go into detail about it.”
Strong wind
The crash took place off the west coast of Norway near Bergen. The helicopter belongs to the company Bristow Norway, which transports personnel to and from drilling platforms in the North Sea, the company confirmed. According to police, the accident involving the Sikorsky S-92, a search and rescue helicopter, happened while practicing rescue operations. This was carried out for the Norwegian energy company Equinor. “It is with great sadness that we learned that a person on assignment for us was killed in this tragic incident,” an Equinor spokesperson confirmed.
The aircraft ended up in the sea around 7.41 pm after an automatic distress signal was sent. The occupants were in the cold water for about fifty minutes before they could be pulled out. According to a rescue worker, no helicopter was seen in the sea at the time. Since then, wreckage has been found with the cooperation of the army. The recovery is still underway.
It is not known what exactly went wrong. There was a strong wind at the time of the accident, according to a rescue worker. The police started an investigation.
“We are aware of the incident and stand ready to support the investigating authorities and our client. Safety is our top priority,” said a spokesperson for Sikorsky, a part of Lockheed Martin.