TTHENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE - Two passengers are dead following a helicopter crash near Nahanni Butte.

The incident took place on a ridge outside of the community at approximately 2 p.m. on Aug. 4, said Cpt. Mark Peebles, a senior public affairs officer with 8 Wing Trenton.

The pilot, who was ejected from the Robinson R44 helicopter during the crash, survived with serious injuries. The two passengers, who weren't ejected, died at the scene, Peebles said.

According to a press release from the RCMP the passengers were hunters travelling into the Liard Mountain Range. The RCMP believe the helicopter was owned by an outfitting company although it was completely destroyed in the crash, making it unidentifiable, said Staff Sgt. Francis Cullen with the G Division.

Hunters in the area witnessed the crash. Members of the Fort Liard RCMP detachment who went to the scene along with the witnesses were able to recover the pilot at approximately 7 p.m., said Peebles.

"The fact that it was on a steep slope made the recovery all the more difficult," he said.

The pilot was transported to Fort Simpson and on to Edmonton for medical treatment. The remains of the passengers were expected to be recovered on August 5.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordinator Centre at CFB Trenton in Ontario co-ordinated the rescue. A Hercules aircraft with search and rescue personnel from 435 Squadron in Winnipeg was sent to the scene but was turned back on route because people at the site had successfully recovered the pilot, Peebles said.

The names of the passengers and the pilot weren't being released by press time. The RCMP is assisting the Office of the Coroner in the investigation.

Reached at the band office in Nahanni Butte, Chief Fred Tesou said he was unable to comment on the accident.