2 people rescued after B.C. helicopter crash

A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter is pictured at the scene of a helicopter crash near Nelson, B.C., in this image handed out by 19 Wing Comox.

Search and rescue volunteers, civilians and crews from the Royal Canadian Air Force teamed up to rescue two people after a helicopter crash in the B.C. Interior Friday.

In a news release, the Canadian Armed Forces said RCAF crews from 19 Wing Comox responded to the crash near Mount Kubin, about 15 kilometres northwest of Nelson, just after 8 a.m.

A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and CC-295 Kingfisher plane were sent to the scene, in addition to a local helicopter operator who helped with the response, 19 Wing Comox spokesperson Lt. Keil Kodama said.

“The Kingfisher provided top cover while the Cormorant proceeded to the scene to conduct the rescue,” the release reads.

Due to low cloud at the crash site, the Cormorant helicopter crew was unable to access the two patients, so a local tour operator co-ordinating with Nelson Search and Rescue reached them by foot and transported them to lower elevation in a toboggan, according to the CAF.

“One of the biggest challenges was the weather and cloud cover around the crash site,” Capt. Matt Welsh, aircraft commander on the CH-149 Cormorant, said in the release. “Thanks to the exceptional co-ordination between air and ground crews, the patients were safely brought to us so we could complete the evacuation.”

The Cormorant medically evacuated one person to Kelowna for “further care,” and Nelson Search and Rescue transported the other patient to Nelson airport where they were handed over to B.C. Emergency Health Services.

“This was a great collaboration between civil, military and commercial agencies, and we are very happy to have helped co-ordinate and facilitate a positive outcome for the subject’s onward care,” NSAR manager Anna Wynne said in the release.

The two RCAF aircraft returned to 19 Wing Comox after the rescue operation.

Kodama said the CAF would not provide details about the pair’s conditions.

In a statement to CTV News, BCEHS said, “an ambulance was dispatched to the Kelowna Airport to meet Search and Rescue. Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment and transported one patient to hospital.”