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| Five Snowdonia helicopter victims' bodies recovered | Five Snowdonia helicopter victims' bodies recovered |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The bodies of five family members killed in a helicopter crash have been recovered from a remote mountainside in north Wales. | The bodies of five family members killed in a helicopter crash have been recovered from a remote mountainside in north Wales. |
| Police have confirmed the passengers as Kevin and Ruth Burke, Donald and Sharon Burke, and Barry Burke. They are all from the Milton Keynes area. | Police have confirmed the passengers as Kevin and Ruth Burke, Donald and Sharon Burke, and Barry Burke. They are all from the Milton Keynes area. |
| Poor weather and "challenging" terrain at the Rhinog Mountains in Snowdonia had hampered recovery efforts. | Poor weather and "challenging" terrain at the Rhinog Mountains in Snowdonia had hampered recovery efforts. |
| The search began on Wednesday when the aircraft vanished in north Wales. | |
| The crash site is a two-hour walk and "scramble" from the nearest road. | The crash site is a two-hour walk and "scramble" from the nearest road. |
| In all, 80 personnel have been involved in the recovery work, including forensics police officers, air accident investigators, RAF personnel and mountain rescue volunteers. | In all, 80 personnel have been involved in the recovery work, including forensics police officers, air accident investigators, RAF personnel and mountain rescue volunteers. |
| The victims' bodies have been taken to a hospital mortuary. | The victims' bodies have been taken to a hospital mortuary. |
| Ch Insp Richard Green said family members have been informed so the "very-difficult process of formal identification" could begin. | Ch Insp Richard Green said family members have been informed so the "very-difficult process of formal identification" could begin. |
| "Our thoughts remain with the extended family and their friends," he said. | "Our thoughts remain with the extended family and their friends," he said. |
| "I would also like to thank the police officers and mountain rescue personnel, not just for their dedication and skill in very-trying conditions, but also the dignified and compassionate manner in which the whole operation was conducted." | "I would also like to thank the police officers and mountain rescue personnel, not just for their dedication and skill in very-trying conditions, but also the dignified and compassionate manner in which the whole operation was conducted." |
| Experts from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are on site and it is understood the recovery of the aircraft could take about three days. | Experts from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are on site and it is understood the recovery of the aircraft could take about three days. |
| The wreckage will then be transferred to its base at Farnborough where the investigation will continue. | The wreckage will then be transferred to its base at Farnborough where the investigation will continue. |
| The Twin Squirrel helicopter was registered to Kevin and Ruth Burke, who are believed to have been directors of the Milton Keynes-based Staske Construction company. | The Twin Squirrel helicopter was registered to Kevin and Ruth Burke, who are believed to have been directors of the Milton Keynes-based Staske Construction company. |
| The group was travelling to Dublin, where Ruth Burke was born. | The group was travelling to Dublin, where Ruth Burke was born. |
| It is believed Kevin Burke was originally from Manchester and was a qualified pilot. | |
| The helicopter had left a private airfield in the Milton Keynes area before losing radar contact at about 16:00 BST on Wednesday and crashing in the Rhinog Mountains, between Harlech and Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd. | The helicopter had left a private airfield in the Milton Keynes area before losing radar contact at about 16:00 BST on Wednesday and crashing in the Rhinog Mountains, between Harlech and Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd. |
| A mountain rescue team found the wreckage. | A mountain rescue team found the wreckage. |
| North west Wales coroner Dewi Pritchard-Jones has opened an investigation. | North west Wales coroner Dewi Pritchard-Jones has opened an investigation. |
| Police have appealed for anyone in the Trawsfynydd area between noon and 13:00 on Wednesday who may have heard or seen the helicopter to contact them. | Police have appealed for anyone in the Trawsfynydd area between noon and 13:00 on Wednesday who may have heard or seen the helicopter to contact them. |
| Ch Insp Green said the crash site was "precarious" on a steep slope at about 700m (2,297ft) above sea level. | Ch Insp Green said the crash site was "precarious" on a steep slope at about 700m (2,297ft) above sea level. |
| He said the weather had made the task of getting personnel and equipment to the site "very difficult and potentially dangerous". | He said the weather had made the task of getting personnel and equipment to the site "very difficult and potentially dangerous". |
| "This process, even in perfect conditions, is still delicate and methodical as we search for any evidence that could help explain the cause of the crash." | "This process, even in perfect conditions, is still delicate and methodical as we search for any evidence that could help explain the cause of the crash." |