RYAN RJ SINGLETON: At approximately 1:00 AM
this morning, Cochrane RCMP received a complaint
of overdue aircraft that was expecting
to arrive in Salmon Arm, BC.
The aircraft, which departed the Springbank
Airport at around 9:00 PM, had one pilot and five passengers
on board.
Were all en route to a church function.
After speaking with families of the passengers,
the Alberta RCMP confirmed that the contact with the passengers
ceased at approximately 9:30 PM last evening.
Shortly after being advised of the overdue aircraft,
a joint rescue operation center in Trenton
asked Winnipeg-based Royal Canadian Air Force C-130H
Hercules from the 435 transport and rescue squadron
to conduct a search.
The crew honed in on the emergency locator transmitter,
the ELT, to the crash site, where Alberta Parks Mountain
Rescue responding with alpine helicopters
and a Comox-based Royal Canadian Air Force CH-143 Cormorant
from 442 transport and rescue squadron,
were dispatched to assist.
The Hercules crew and Alberta Parks
Mountain Rescue program responders confirm
there were no survivors.
Other responding agencies, including Alberta Health
Services, Kananaskis emergency service,
and Alberta conservation assisted.
As you can imagine, recovering the bodies of the pilot
and the passengers was very challenging
due to the difficult terrain.
However, all six bodies have been successfully recovered.
As the Transport Safety Board of Canada
are conducting this investigation,
there will be no further comment of the RCMP
on this investigation.
On behalf of the Alberta RCMP, I'd
like to extend my deepest condolences to the families
of those on board the aircraft.
The Canadian Armed Forces also extends its thoughts
to those families and friends of the deceased
at this very difficult time.
To the media, we kindly ask for your cooperation
and respect the privacy of the families
during this very difficult time.
Thank you very much.