Five Bodies Found in Wreckage of Missing Helicopter
Mountain Rescue teams have found the site where a missing helicopter crashed. All five people on board the privately-owned Twin Squirrel aircraft have died. The aircrafts left Milton Keynes last night (Wednesday) to fly to Dublin, via Caernarfon Bay, before disappearing on Wednesday afternoon. It is understood that Ruth Burke and her husband Kevin were travelling in their privately-owned helicopter when it crashed yesterday Police are appealing for anyone who saw a low-flying helicopter in the Trawsfynydd area in Snowdonia. A major air, land and sea search was carried out on Wednesday evening, but on Thursday morning after data was analysed the search focus was on Snowdonia. Two Coastguard Helicopters spent most of the evening searching but the search was called off due to bad weather. The helicopter, which is privately-owned, is understood to have left Milton Keynes in the south of England earlier on Wednesday en route to Dublin via Caernarfon Bay. It was due to land in Weston Airport on the Dublin/Kildare border. The helicopter is owned by Staske Construction Ltd in Milton Keynes, which is run by Kevin and Ruth Burke, who rent it out to film crews. The machine has had a number of owners and have purchased by the couple in 2008. The helicopter was due to land in Weston Airport on the Dublin – Kildare border. Police, RAF and civilian helicopters were initially utilised to conduct searches over the sea. The search has now been confined to land in the Snowdonia area with a number of local Mountain Rescue Teams also being used. Supt. Gareth Evans at North Wales Police said, “All available Police, Mountain Rescue and other civilian resources are currently being utilised and we are grateful for the assistance and cooperation of the public as well as our MRT volunteers who are searching very difficult and challenging terrain. Superintendent Gareth Evans at North Wales Police said: “Five people are believed to be on board this ‘private’ flight and specialist Police family liaison officers are in contact with family members. At this stage we are not revealing their names and our thoughts are very much with their families at this difficult time.”
