RESOLUTE
Twelve people are dead after a First Air 737 en route to Resolute from Yellowknife crashed near the hamlet early Saturday afternoon.
Passenger list released
The RCMP has released the names of the 15 passengers and crew on the First Air 737 flight that crashed just outside Resolute on Aug. 20.
It is unclear at this point who the three survivors are but the 12 passengers on the plane were Marty Bergmann, Cheyenne Eckalook, Steve Girouard, Lise Lamoureux, Gabrielle Pelky, Raymond Pitre, Randolph Reid, Michael Rideout, Chesley Tibbo, Nicole Williamson and Robin Wyllie.
First Air confirmed on Aug. 21 all four crew members Ann Marie Chassie, David Hare, Ute Merritt and Blair Rutherford perished.
Canadian Forces members carry a passenger rescued from the crash site of First Air flight 6560, that crashed on landing in Resolute from Yellowknife Aug. 20. There were three survivors and 12 dead. - photo courtesy of Canadian Forces
A Canadian Forces member awaits a helicopter arriving from the crash site. - photos courtesy of Canadian Forces
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Three others on the flight survived the crash, which happened at 12:50 p.m. EDT, 10 minutes after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, a charter flight with the code number 6560.
A list of passengers has not been released. Those aboard included four flight crew members, who were all killed in the crash. Three of the flight crew were from Yellowknife, the flight captain was from Edmonton.
The three survivors, a child and two adults, arrived at Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit at around 9 p.m. EDT Saturday.
A seven-year-old female and 48-year-old male were medevaced, in stable condition, to the Ottawa General Hospital at about 3 a.m. on Aug. 21, said Bernie Schmidt, executive director of the Qikiqtani General Hospital. A 23-year-old female is in stable condition and has been admitted to the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit.
The man's injuries were considered critical while being medevaced from Resolute, but has since been downgraded to serious but stable condition, according to the Government of Nunavut.
Crisis response personnel, including mental health and social service workers, were expected to arrive in Resolute on Aug. 21, he added.
At press conference Sunday in Yellowknife, Scott Bateman, First Air president and CEO, said that grief counsellors were meeting with families of crew and passengers "as we mourn this useless loss of life."
"This is a tremendous tragedy for us all," he said and struggled to maintain his composure after going 27 hours without sleep.
He praised the Canadian military for immediate response to survivors, the Nunavut government, and the RCMP.
The cause will be unknown for some time, he said. Flight recorders were recovered from the crash and the Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
Resolute resident Ralph Alexander said the flight was a regular once-every-three-weeks charter, and everyone in the hamlet of 229 people was in shock.
"Everybody is related to somebody else. It doesn't matter who it is, it affects the whole community," he said.
Professional counsellors will be made available in communities as needed, the GN announced in a press release.
"This will be a difficult time for so many people - please take care of each other," stated Premier Eva Aariak in a press release. "This is part of our culture and going to be important now more than ever."
Ken Sinnott, manager of the Kenn Borek Air office in Resolute Bay, said the plane crashed on approach.
Weather may have been a factor. Heavy fog blanketed the area. The posted ceiling at the time was 700 feet, but it was actually much lower than that, Sinnott said.
The aircraft was off course and struck a low hill beside the runway, he said.
"The hill is about halfway down the runway," he said.
The plane was chartered to South Camp Inn, and according to Sinnott, most of the passengers were employees returning to jobs in the hotel and other businesses owned by Azzis 'Ozzie' Kheraj.
Another resident of the community said that relatives of Kheraj were among the passengers, but that could not be immediately confirmed.
Many in the community were unaware that the plane had crashed until an emergency alarm was sounded, according to the resident.
Chris Krepski, spokesman for the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, said it's too early to say what may have caused the crash.
"We are continuing our field investigation, gathering as much information from different sources as possible," he said.
The RCMP is sending a team of four forensic identification officers for the identification of the deceased and a second team of two forensic identification officers will be dedicated to the accident investigation.
Padma Suramala, chief coroner of Nunavut, was scheduled to visit the crash site on Sunday. The RCMP has 11 members on the scene.
Hundreds of military personnel are currently in the area for the massive military exercise Operation Nanook, which was to include an air crash simulation.
"We deployed firefighting and medical staff, as well as helicopters to secure the scene and provide search and rescue," said Dominique Verdon, a spokesperson with the Department of National Defence. "It's (crash site) actually visible from the camp."
Operation Nanook has been suspended until further notice, said Capt. Clayton Myhill, another spokesman for the department.
"We are dedicating all of our assets to be able to support local authorities in this disaster," he said.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife Sharon were in Resolute on Saturday. In a brief statement issued Saturday, the Governor General stated he and his wife were "deeply saddened," adding, "I was able to witness first-hand the professionalism and dedication of our Canadian Forces and civilian organizations as they responded quickly and effectively to this catastrophe."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was scheduled to travel to Resolute on Monday for his annual trip to the Arctic. His office issued a statement Saturday night that he is still expected to travel north this week, but details would not be confirmed "until a later date."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those passengers who lost their lives in this tragedy. We also wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured," he stated in the release.
