Plans to recover bodies revealed

Clouds cover the mountain tops. Photo by Greymouth Star.
Clouds cover the mountain tops. Photo by Greymouth Star.
Click to enlarge. Graphic: NZ Herald
Click to enlarge. Graphic: NZ Herald
Helicopter wreckage is wedged between house-sized ice blocks. Photo supplied.
Helicopter wreckage is wedged between house-sized ice blocks. Photo supplied.

Plans to recover the three bodies remaining on Fox Glacier after Saturday's helicopter crash have been revealed.

Police this afternoon confirmed four of the seven bodies have been recovered.

The remaining bodies are unlikely to be retrieved until at least Wednesday, when it was thought the weather could clear enough for rescue crews to approach the site.

Inspector John Canning said a staged area would be cut out in the ice, so the ground was stable enough to stand on.

He said the glacier was moving around 1m per day at the moment - and that alone presented considerable safety challenges.

Mr Canning said post-mortem examinations would take place in Christchurch tomorrow morning, while rescue crews in Fox Glacier planned their next move.

Families of the victims were expected to arrive at the glacier at some point, but travel arrangements were still being finalised.

Queenstown pilot Mitch Gameren, 28, died alongside six tourists when the Alpine Adventures helicopter he was flying on a scenic trip plunged into a deep crevasse in the glacier.

 Pilot 'one of the best' 

The tourists were Andrew Virco, 50, and his partner Katharine Walker, 51, of Cambridge, England; Nigel Edwin Charlton, 66, and his wife Cynthia, 70; and Australians Sovannmony Leang, 27, and Josephine Gibson, 29.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesman Peter Northcote said investigators had spent today conducting formal interviews with people connected to the tragedy, while waiting for the weather to clear to resume site operations.

"These include employees of the operating company and others working in the same area on the morning of the accident. Documentary evidence has also been gathered," Mr Northcote said.

"Meanwhile, an engineering expert for the helicopter type has been preparing equipment to assist with securing the wreckage while police operations take place nearby, and to prepare it for recovery.

"Planning of a drone aerial survey mission has also continued working off existing photography and an investigator's aerial reconnaissance of the wreckage scene.

"The investigation team's current priority is to secure all available physical evidence and to obtain witness statements.

"Once this has been achieved the team will be able to confirm any additional external expertise that might be required to help with examination of the wreckage and other technical aspects as the investigation continues."

No recovery attempt made today

No attempt was made today to recover bodies from a helicopter crash in Fox Glacier, as bad weather hampered access, and safety of the teams was paramount, police said.

Alpine Cliff Rescue team leader Marius Bron described working on the fragile ice on the glacier as like working on popcorn. He said rescuers would use ropes and winches.

West Coast Area Commander Inspector John Canning said the safety of the rescue teams was the paramount concern and that would not be compromised.

"We are waiting for a substantial break in the weather to get back on the glacier and systematically work through what is a highly technical recovery operation," he said.

The family of the pilot know they may never get his body back, but hope authorities can bring him home.

Police yesterday confirmed that the bodies of three of the seven victims had been recovered from the crash site. They had been taken to a nearby temporary mortuary facility for formal identification, which could take days.

Mr Gameren's stepfather, Kelly Bray, said he had no idea who had been recovered and who was still unaccounted for.

''All we know is they have asked us about who Mitch's dentist was,'' he said.

''We are conscious he may be in the crevasse, he may be deep down. But we are quite resolved in our minds that we are getting him back. It is hard not knowing ... We know he's not coming back alive but we still want him back.''

Mr Bray said family and friends had gathered in Queenstown, many from overseas, and were waiting for news. ''We've got quite a big group here; we're OK.''

Challenging mission 

A search and rescue team in a NZCC rescue helicopter recovered three bodies yesterday during a brief lull in the bad weather. They were winched aboard the helicopter, which was unable to land.

Mr Canning said the recovery was a technically challenging task which called for specialist skills.

''The site is near the top of the glacier, it's all ice, it's not level and there are blocks of ice as big as buildings with crevasses between them,'' he said.

''There will be danger in getting teams into the area and traversing the area. While we're determined to return these people to their families, this will be a complex and technical task with an emphasis on ... safety.''

Mr Canning said alpine cliff rescue teams from Mt Cook and Franz Josef, as well as disaster victim identification teams, were part of the operation.

A sombre mood has descended over the Fox Glacier community, which was noticeably quieter than usual yesterday.

Outside the local tourism centre, a group of pilots sat around a wooden picnic table, reflecting on the loss of their friend and remembering a colleague who had been taken too soon.

Locals who knew the pilots walked up and asked if they were all right. But none wanted to speak about their loss - for them, the tragedy was still too raw.

Other locals were worried about what the tragedy would mean for their businesses over the peak summer tourist season.

Shocked tourists, some of whom had been contemplating taking a scenic helicopter flight, commented that it could have been them.

Tourist flights in the area were all cancelled yesterday. A 5km no-fly zone around the crash site is likely to remain in place for at least the next three days, putting a stop to flights over the glacier.

Rob Jewell, chairman of Glacier Country Tourism, said many of the pilots in the close-knit industry knew each other and it was a difficult time for them.

''The focus at the moment is on friends, the family of the loved ones who've unfortunately lost their lives in this tragedy.''

Alpine Adventures spokesman Mike Nolan said the crash was ''absolutely tragic''.

''And our thoughts are just with the families at the moment, of the pilot and the passengers.''

Prime Minister John Key said the crash was ''obviously very tragic'', and he had passed his condolences for the loss of the Australians' lives to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull when he met him last night.

Asked about any effect on visitor numbers, Mr Key, also Tourism Minister, said he did not think it would put people off coming here, or undertaking adventure tourism activities.

''Most people are aware there is a degree of risk when you get in a helicopter. But, having said that, there needs to be a full investigation.''

By Anna Leask, John Weekes, Emily Murphy, with additional reporting by NZME, NZH and NEWSTALK.

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