4 killed as helicopter crashes in field in Canada’s Quebec, probe launched

Helicopter goes down in Canada’s Quebec, killing all 4 on board. Representational image

A helicopter crashed in a field near Montreal, a major city in Canada’s Quebec province, on Saturday afternoon, killing all four people on board, Quebec provincial police said.Police were called shortly after 2.30 pm after the helicopter crashed and caught fire near Rang des Écossais, off Highway 10, according to Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

The municipality is about 50 kilometres southeast of Montreal.An SQ spokesperson said the four occupants were “pronounced dead at the scene”. Emergency responders brought the fire under control within an hour, police said.The victims have not yet been identified, and police have not determined the cause of the crash. The helicopter “seems to have been a private aircraft”, according to the provincial police.Canada’s transport minister Steven MacKinnon expressed condolences to those affected by the crash. In a post on X, he said that the authorities were monitoring the crash and would appoint a Minister’s Observer.

According to AP, the SQ’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has also sent investigators to the site, according to police.