The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Saturday that it had completed its work at the scene of Thursday’s fatal helicopter crash near Drummondville, Que.
Three people died after the Robinson model helicopter crashed and caught fire in a snow-covered field just outside the city, about 110 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
TSB spokesman Alexandre Fournier told The Canadian Press that the field phase of the investigation was over, and the wreck had been removed.
“Investigators have left the site and the wreck has been taken away until it is decided which components will be analyzed at the TSB lab in Ottawa,” he said.
He said there was no new information on what caused the crash, which claimed the lives of the 57-year-old businessman Jean-Claude Mailhot, his 32-year-old daughter Janie, and her friend Nathalie Desrosiers.
Police have said the crash is not believed to have been a criminal act.
READ MORE: Helicopter crash in Quebec kills 3 people
The relatives of the Mailhot family released a statement late Friday, in which they thanked the public for their messages of support and expressed their devastation at the tragedy.
“Our father and our sister died in a tragic accident last night,” read the statement signed by Tommy, Vincent and Alexandrine Mailhot.
“Words do not suffice to express the desolation and incomprehension that an event like this can bring.”
On Saturday, many in the Lanaudière region were remembering the victims for their dedication to their families and communities.
WATCH: TSB investigates after 3 killed in Quebec helicopter crash
The Diocese of Joliette said Jean-Claude Mailhot was an active volunteer for the last 14 years, and had been especially involved in selling tickets to an annual draw.
Desrosiers, for her part, was remembered by a friend as a “luminous” personality and a loving mother who volunteered at her daughter’s theatre group.
“She marked everyone who met her with her deep and natural kindness,” said Nathalie Côté, who volunteered with her. “She was really someone with heart.”
Côté said Desrosiers was a “natural leader” who pitched in with the group to be closer to her teenage daughter, Amy.
“To be there with her daughter and to do volunteer work was something she wanted to pass on to her daughter,” she said.
- Posters promoting ‘Steal From Loblaws Day’ are circulating. How did we get here?
- Video shows Ontario police sharing Trudeau’s location with protester, investigation launched
- Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
Comments