Four killed in helicopter crash near Montreal

Four people have died after a helicopter crashed in a small town about 50 kilometres from Montreal, Quebec’s provincial police said.

Emergency services were called to Sainte-Brigide-d’Iberville shortly after 2:30pm local time on Saturday, where they found the aircraft on fire. All four occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.

The victims have not yet been identified, but the aircraft appeared to be a private helicopter, Sergeant Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said.

An investigation into the crash is being led by the Major Crime Unit of the Sûreté du Québec, working alongside crime scene technicians and investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The crash site is near Rang des Écossais road, off Highway 10, according to Bilodeau.

Police were alerted through an emergency call about a helicopter in distress that may have crashed and caught fire. The fire at the site was brought under control about an hour after the call, although officials were still working at the crash site shortly before 10:00pm local time.

Bilodeau said identifying the victims may take a few days.