Four missing after Airmedic helicopter crash in northeastern Quebec: police
Quebec provincial police launched a search operation Saturday after a helicopter crash in northeastern Quebec that left four people unaccounted for.
They said the aircraft operated by Airmedic was involved in an accident around 10:30 p.m. on Friday near Natashquan, Que., a little more than 1,000 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Police planned to comb a wooded area in the region north of the community in the province's Côte-Nord region.
Sgt. Élizabeth Marquis-Guy said five people were aboard the chopper, but one man was rescued and reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital.
The four others remained missing on Saturday morning.
Raphaele Bourgault, a spokesperson from the Longueuil, Que.-based air medical transport firm, confirmed the helicopter was part of the company fleet and said emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene.
'Airmedic staff are working closely with authorities and first responders to manage the situation and provide the necessary assistance,' Bourgault said in an emailed statement.
'Airmedic will release further information as soon as it is confirmed.'
Bourgault said the company's thoughts and concerns are with those affected by the crash.
Airmedic specializes in air medical transport and operates both planes and helicopters as part of its fleet. It is a private company that offers its services across Canada.
A command post was set up and search specialists are on site and are capable of searching on the water as well as by ground and in the air.
The Canadian Armed Forces have also been called for assistance, police said.
Provincial police say the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been informed of the crash and will conduct an investigation to determine the circumstances behind it.
A TSB spokesman said the helicopter was in the process of a medical evacuation and crashed into a lake shortly after takeoff.
'The TSB is in contact with the operator and others involved and is collecting information,' spokesman Nic Defalco said in an emailed response.
Police investigators will collaborate in the TSB probe, Marquis-Guy said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly identified the victim taken to hospital as a woman.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
19 hours ago
- CTV News
Montreal SPCA wants Quebec to include animals in emergency response plans
The Montreal SPCA would like animals included in emergency response plans to natural disasters. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News) When a wildfire, flood or other natural disaster is bearing down, citizens need to act fast to gather essentials and loved ones and move out of harm's way. For over half the Quebec population, that loved one may be an animal. The Montreal SPCA said that a Leger poll found that 86 per cent of Quebec pet owners would refuse to evacuate without their animal companions in case of disaster. As such, the shelter is calling on the province to include animals in evacuation and emergency housing plans and to work with shelters and animal protection organizations to do search and rescue operations and ensure access to at risk or affected areas. In addition, the shelter wants the following conditions: Implementing measures to make it easier to identify animals and reunite them with their guardians. Training first responders in animal capture and handling. Supporting animal shelters affected by a disaster. Making essential animal food and supplies eligible for post-emergency financial assistance. The SPCA points out that natural disasters are intensifying, pointing to wildfires in New Brunswick, Manitoba and B.C. and floods in Texas this year as recent examples. Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash was among those evacuated in 2023 when wildfires ripped through northern Quebec. Fire departments in the communities allowed dog owners to drop off their pets and they secured temporary shelter spaces out of the region until evacuees could return home. 'All you had to do was drop off your pet at the firehall and put them on a list,' she said, adding that it relieved a lot of stress for pet owners. 'Cities most likely have the resources necessary to do so. It just takes a bit of logistics to reassign resources and to plan out logistics.' The SPCA points out that B.C. has already integrated animals into its emergency measures. In Quebec, it's up to the municipalities. 'People put themselves in danger to save their animals, also endangering first responders,' the SPCA said in a news release. 'Forced separation causes lasting psychological trauma for disaster victims.' Pet owners are encouraged to assemble an emergency kit for their animals. More information can be found on the SPCA's website.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Massive rescue effort led to pulling workers from debris of Pennsylvania steel plant explosion
Authorities spent hours searching through the rubble for signs of life after an explosion leveled a Pennsylvania steel mill. ABC News' Stephanie Ramos reports. CLAIRTON, Pa. - Moments after an explosion erupted at a U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania, company firefighters, local responders and employees raced in to rescue people from the smoldering wreckage. But word spread that some were trapped in the sprawling facility, and the walls were too unstable to safely bring them out. A crew from Pittsburgh-based Pennsylvania Urban Search & Rescue Strike Team One was called in to assist, said Matthew Brown, chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services. The team was able to stabilize a wall at the plant outside Pittsburgh and used an advanced camera to detect the trapped workers' locations. Crew members pulled away the rubble and freed one worker, who was whisked to a hospital where he remains. A second worker was later found dead. Monday's explosion, which was powerful enough to shake nearby homes, killed two workers and injured more than 10 others. Five people ranging in age from 27 to 74 remained hospitalized Tuesday including the rescued worker, who was in critical but stable condition, according to the Allegheny County Police Department. Three were at UPMC Mercy, the region's only level-one trauma and burn center. The massive plant along the Monongahela River in Clairton converts coal to coke, a key component in the steelmaking process. The facility is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania. To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel. The process creates what's known as coke gas -- a lethal mix of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. U.S. Steel's chief manufacturing officer, Scott Buckiso, said workers were conducting routine operations at the time of the accident. Two loud booms that followed the initial blast were initially thought to be subsequent explosions, but Buckiso said they were from the activation of two relief pressure valves - a safety mechanism that operated as expected. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters Tuesday that workers deserve an 'answer for what happened.' 'We owe them the answers to their questions, and we owe them to never forget the sacrifices that occurred here yesterday,' Shapiro said. Before arriving at a news conference, he met with family members of a worker who died. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato told reporters she had assurances from U.S. Steel that it would continue to cooperate fully with investigators. 'We all share a common goal. We want to get to the bottom of what happened, and we want to prevent it from happening ever again,' Innamorato said. Remembering the dead Shapiro also used the news conference to pay tribute to the workers who died. The county medical examiner's office identified one as Timothy Quinn, 39. and the other was not identified, with his family requesting privacy. Shapiro described Quinn as a devoted father of three known to his friends as 'TQ.' He served as a mentor and leader to other workers and was known for cracking jokes. A second-generation steelworker, he followed in his father's footsteps and was a 'mama's boy' who, after working long shifts, would take care of his mother and look after his children and his girlfriend's two children. 'His life was cut too short because of what happened here at this plant,' Shapiro said. 'We have a responsibly to remember his legacy, to make sure his memory lives on. ... We will make sure his children know his dad was a special man, a good man and a man who helped build this community with his hands the way his father did.' CEO David Burritt called it an 'extraordinarily difficult day' for a U.S. Steel family that has 'suffered heartbreaking losses.' According to the company, the plant has approximately 1,400 workers. The company, he said, is working closely with local, state and federal authorities. He would not speculate about the cause of the explosion. 'We will share as much as we can, as soon as we can, and we will take every step necessary to keep our people safe,' Burritt said. Deanna Forkey was working behind the counter at the nearby Hometown Burgers & Deli, which her family owns, when she heard the explosion and the restaurant door popped open. 'When I looked out, all you could see was black smoke,' Forkey said. 'Explosions over there aren't really uncommon. We hear them a lot. But that one obviously was much worse.' She said many plant workers are regulars at the restaurant. 'You start to build a little bit of a relationship,' Forkey said. 'So it kind of pulls a little harder at the heartstrings.' Plant has seen explosions in the past In September 2009, a maintenance worker was killed in a blast. And in July 2010, another explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors. According to online OSHA records of workplace fatalities, the last death at the plant was in 2014, when a worker was burned and died after falling into a trench. After the 2010 explosion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined U.S. Steel and a subcontractor US$175,000 for safety violations. U.S. Steel appealed its citations and fines, which were later reduced under a settlement agreement. A problem with a battery in February led to a 'buildup of combustible material' that ignited, causing an audible boom, officials said. Two plant workers received first aid but were not seriously injured. Richard Lattanzi, who retired from another nearby U.S. Steel plant and is now mayor of Clairton, recalled that the company once sought to ensure that workers 'go home the way they came in.' 'Apparently it's not happening right now, so we've got to get better,' Lattanzi said. 'We have to rally around this plant right now.' Pittsburgh attorney John Gismondi represented the widow of the worker who was killed in the 2009 explosion and three men who were badly burned in the 2010 blast. In a phone interview Tuesday, Gismondi said his immediate thought the previous day was, 'Oh my God, not again at Clairton.' Both lawsuits were settled out of court for 'significant' amounts, he said. 'There's a lot of gas on the premises. That's fine, it's part and parcel of what they do,' he said. 'But gas is a dangerous substance, and you need to make sure safety protocols are being followed.' Marc Levy, Gene Puskar, Michael Casey and Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Casey from Boston. Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, Beatrice Dupuy in New York and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Samuel De Champlain Bridge maintenance crew using remote-controlled lawn mower for steep inclines
Montreal News Samuel De Champlain Bridge maintenance crew using remote-controlled lawn mower for steep inclines Remote-controlled robotic lawn mowers are being used to maintain the green space in the area of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge.
