RCMP confirm one dead, two injured in helicopter crash at Thorburn Lake, N.L.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — One person is dead and two are injured following a helicopter crash near Thorburn Lake in Newfoundland and Labrador, the RCMP said Monday.

Police received a call reporting the crash Monday afternoon in the area about 200 kilometres northwest of St. John’s, RCMP spokeswoman Glenda Power said.

She said the civilian helicopter had three occupants aboard and one of them was declared dead at the scene when emergency services arrived.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax deployed a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter to the crash site and said two people were rescued and transported for medical care.

JRCC Halifax, run by the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard, leads search and rescue operations in a region covering more than 29,000 kilometres that includes Atlantic Canada.

Power said she believes the aircraft crashed into the lake, adding that information was still unconfirmed by rescuers on the ground.

The family of the deceased person has been notified, she said.