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 devastating news that we have lost dear friends and colleagues,” he said. “I extend our deepest sympathy to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have been affected by this tragedy. I am heading to the Northwest Territories to be with our team and to offer our full support.
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“We will be working closely with authorities over the coming days, weeks and months, to support their efforts to understand the full facts of what has happened.”
On Tuesday, the TSB said the plane that crashed near Fort Smith was a British Aerospace Jetstream registered to Northwestern Air Lease.
RCMP said in an email Tuesday that Transport Canada and search-and-rescue teams had been brought in.
On Tuesday, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton confirmed the military responded after an aircraft lost contact shortly after taking off near Fort Smith, about 740 kilometres south of Yellowknife.
The Air Force, RCMP and Canadian Rangers were all involved in the search-and-rescue, said David Lavallee, a public affairs officer with Search and Rescue Region Trenton.
Three Air Force squadrons provided air support, while police and rangers conducted a search on the ground, he said.
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) advised residents that Fort Smith Health Centre activated “its mass casualty protocol at approximately 8:50 a.m. Tuesday in response to an aviation incident near the community.
On Wednesday, NTHSSA communications manager David Maguire told Global News that this protocol was put into place to prepare resources to “ensure the health centre is at-the-ready to support response efforts.”
He said one example of what this action did was to divert booked appointments.
A statement from Fort Smith’s mayor and council was posted to the town’s Facebook page on Wednesday, saying council was “deeply saddened by the tragic losses within our community in the past days” and offering condolences “to all the families, friends, and the community.”
“These people are treasured members of our community and their loss touches everyone,” the statement read in part. “We recognize the impact is far reaching and deeply affects everyone. We encourage people to seek support as they need, and our prayers are with you all.
“We are all friends, neighbours, co-workers. We understand that you may not wish to be alone right now. That you may want to talk about it with others that are experiencing the same feelings of grief and trauma.”
The mayor and council said food and drinks will be available at a local community recreation centre for area residents who wish to come together in the wake of the tragedy.
“We thank all who have responded to assist our community and are very grateful for their dedication,” the statement read.
“Our community is strong and resilient and together we will support each other.”
Anna Kikoak owns a local eatery in the town called Anna’s Restaurant and spoke about how the community has reacted.
“We closed the restaurant,” she said, speaking about after news of the crash was confirmed. “Personally, I was in no state to work anymore. I had some visiting to do.”
Kikoak said she hopes to reopen the restaurant for supper on Wednesday but the tragedy is “still fresh” and that she has been busy connecting with people who lost loved ones in the crash.
“(The community) is just pretty much counting on one another at this point,” she said, noting that because it’s a smaller community, it does not have “all the professionals that a big city would have.”
“I just ask people to pray for us.”
Kikoak said Tuesday began with a longer-than-normal power outage.
“We recovered from the power outage,” she recalled. “And it’s winter, so it’s dark. So we shared that and we all recovered … That’s how the day started.
“And then we heard about a plane crash … That was not official news — that was word of mouth about the plane crash.”
She said by 3 p.m., the town’s residents heard about exactly what had happened and the scale of the tragedy.
“(It’s) not easy to describe,” she said. “A plane crash is very physical, but when tragedy hits your heart, it’s hard to describe.
“When you’re looking in the eyes of other people you’ve known for 40-plus years and their souls are speaking tragedy, it’s pretty different.”
Kikoak said she and her fellow community members are trying their best to cope with what has happened.
“I’ll try to be strong for my community … a light of some sort, of kindness and joy — somehow.”
A candlelight vigil was planned for St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Fort Smith on Wednesday night so that residents can offer comfort to one another.
–With files from The Canadian Press and Global News’ Karen Bartko and Emily Mertz
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