Seven Killed In New Zealand Helicopter Crash

Four British tourists and two from Australia were killed when the sightseeing helicopter they were on crashed in a crevasse on Fox Glacier on New Zealand's south island on Saturday. The pilot of the helicopter, a New Zealander, was also killed. Authorities still aren't sure why the Airbus Helicopters AS350, operated by Fox Glacier Heliservices, went down on the glacier, a popular tourist destination on the west coast of the south island. Searchers found the wreck on Saturday and photos show only the rotors and hub protruding from the crevasse. Bad weather and difficult conditions are making the recovery effort challenging.

The helicopter went down in the morning but weather closed in and only three bodies were recovered. Search commander John Canning said his crews are determined to recover all the bodies but it might take awhile. "The site is near the top of the glacier, it's all ice, it's not level and there are blocks of ice as big as buildings with crevasses between them," he told a news conference. "There will be danger in getting teams into the area and traversing the area."