Helicopter crashes at New Zealand glacier with seven people on board

Seven people are feared dead after a helicopter crashed on a glacier in New Zealand.
The chopper is believed to have come down at Fox Glacier, a popular tourist destination, the country's search and rescue agency said.
"A helicopter has crashed off Fox Glacier. It's understood seven people are on board," New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre spokesman Vince Cholewa said.
"Four helicopters have been dispatched to the scene of the crash."

 

Chopper: The Eurocopter Squirrel was carrying seven people (File photo - Alpine Adventures helicopter not shown)

Neither the condition of the passengers nor their nationalities were known, Cholewa said.
Fox Glacier is on the remote west coast of New Zealand's south island and is visited by thousands of tourists each year.

 

Mission: Rescue teams face a race against time and bad weather

The helicopter - reportedly a Eurocopter Squirrel - was operated by Alpine Adventures, a company that provides scenic flights and landings on the glacier, according to local media.
In 2010, a plane headed for Fox Glacier crashed while taking off from a near-by town, killing all nine people on board, including four international tourists.