A helicopter traveling from a North Sea oil field crashed off the west coast of Norway on Friday, killing at least 11 of the 13 people on board.
A search for the remaining two passengers was ongoing, a spokesman from the Rescue Coordination Centre for Southern Norway told broadcaster NRK, adding that among the 13 passengers were one British and one Italian national. The others were Norwegian, reported
Reuters.
The helicopter was traveling from the oil field to Bergen, 74 miles away on the Norwegian mainland, reported
The Associated Press. It crashed on island of Turoey, near Bergen.
Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil ASA said it was sending support staff to Bergen to help families of the victims. The company said the chartered helicopter was "on assignment for Statoil."
Police spokesman Morten Kronen said the helicopter "is totally smashed." He told the AP there were "reports of an explosion and thick smoke" and that some people were reported to be in the sea.
He later said so far police could not confirm any survivors.
"It is a very small island and (helicopter) parts are spread partly on land, partly in the sea," said Jon Sjursoe, a spokesman for the rescue center.
Reuters said the crashed helicopter was a Eurocopter model, according to the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority. Eurocopter is made by a subsidiary of planemaker Airbus.
“There have been challenges with this kind of helicopter model in 2012, when errors in the main gear box were identified,” the authority said in a statement. “That model received flying restrictions in 2012 and 2013.”
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