Efforts by emergency services personnel continued Monday as they searched for four people who have been missing since a medical transport helicopter crashed into a lake in eastern Quebec on Friday night.
The search continues in and around Watshishou Lake near Natashquan as divers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) joined in the effort on Sunday morning.
A spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Air Force told Global News it is no longer involved in the search.
“All Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft have completed an extensive visual search of the last known position of the crashed Air Medic helicopter. Unfortunately, the missing personnel have not been located at this time,” Lt. Commander Len Hickey said in an email Monday.
“As of 3:00 p.m. (EDT), 22 June, all RCAF tasked aircraft have suspended search efforts and returned to base.”
Five people were aboard an Airmedic helicopter on Friday at around 10:30 p.m. before it crashed into the lake.
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One person managed to escape but crews are currently searching for the four others who were aboard the pre-hospital medical transport service aircraft when it went down.
“One crew member has been safely recovered; their life is not in danger, and they are currently receiving the necessary support,” Airmedic said in a statement Sunday morning.
“Yesterday, extensive search and rescue efforts were carried out on the ground, in the air, and on the water. This morning, diving teams from the Sûreté du Québec are on site to support the ongoing and active search operations.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is working alongside Quebec police as it attempts to discover the cause of the collision.
“The helicopter was in the process of a medical evacuation and crashed into a lake shortly after takeoff,” a spokesperson for the TSB told Global News in an emailed statement.
“An investigation has been opened. The TSB is in contact with the operator and others involved and is collecting information.”
According to preliminary information gathered by the TSB, “the helicopter was conducting a medical evacuation and crashed into a lake shortly after takeoff.”
Airmedic, a Montreal-based company that specializes in air medical transport across Canada, has temporarily suspended operations “in order to prioritize the well-being of its teams and provide them with all necessary support.”
Watshishou Lake is located in an area of Quebec called the North Shore, as it lies on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is about 450 kilometres east of Baie-Comeau.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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