Police examine the scene of a fatal aeroplane accident at
the Fox Glacier airfield in South Westland. Photo by The
New Zealand Herald.
The wider West Coast community rallied around Fox Glacier
yesterday as residents mourned the loss of nine people, killed
when a small plane crashed and caught fire at the end of the
town's airstrip at 1.15pm on Saturday.
The traumatised tourist resort of about 400 permanent
residents lost five locals, and the international tourist
community four young people, in the Skydive New Zealand
accident.
Prime Minister John Key expressed his condolences, while the
Westland district Mayor Maureen Pugh, deputy mayor Bryce
Thomson, communications manager Gerry Morris and West Coast
MP Chris Auchinvole visited Fox Glacier yesterday to offer
support.
The New Zealand Air Force offered its assistance and an
Australian High Commission representative was expected in Fox
Glacier yesterday.
Victim Support workers were in Fox Glacier yesterday, with
more to arrive today, as well as a peer support team for the
volunteer fire brigade.
Family members of the deceased had started arriving in the
town but declined to talk to media.
Fox Glacier Development Society Inc, the local community
association, said in a statement by Abyee Williams yesterday
it was "shocked and saddened".
Many in the tight-knit community were yesterday also
unwilling to talk to the media, and in the statement provided
by police, Ms Williams asked for the families' and
community's privacy to be respected.
"This is only a small community and the impact of this
situation has been felt by all who live in Fox Glacier and
South Westland. Our community is a small, close-knit family
and we have all been touched by the events that unfolded
yesterday. We are providing ongoing support to those affected
and will recover from this event in time to come," the
statement said.
Mrs Pugh, on the verge of tears as she spoke at a media
conference, said she wanted to support the community,
emergency services volunteers and the Skydive New Zealand
staff and their families.
The council would do everything it could to assist visits by
families of the deceased, she said.
The nine bodies were still on site until late yesterday as
members of the police disaster identification unit, police
serious crash unit, the Transport Accident Investigation
Commission, Civil Aviation Authority and coroner began
identifying the victims and establishing what went wrong.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.