Newlyweds in helicopter crash
CHRISTCHURCH: A newlywed couple in hospital after a horror helicopter crash on Saturday are being supported by members of their Al Noor Mosque community in Christchurch.
The wedding day tragedy unfolded on a fairway of the golf course at Terrace Downs Resort in Windwhistle, 80km west of Christchurch, when the Robinson 44 came down while flying the bride and groom to a picturesque mountain spot for postnuptial photos.
All people four on board — the bride, groom, wedding photographer, and pilot — were hurt and three were flown by rescue helicopter to Christchurch Hospital with serious injuries after the 3.05pm crash.
The remaining injured person was taken by St John to hospital with moderate injuries.
Waleed Abaza, a close friend of the groom who lost close friends in the March 15, 2019, mosque shootings, was one of the ‘‘traumatised’’ wedding guests.
He spoke about how he and his friends were driving into Terrace Downs, and excited to attend the big day, when they saw an ambulance and wondered what had happened.
They then met other shocked guests who told them that there had been a helicopter accident involving the wedding party.
At first, they thought people had died in the crash which happened just after takeoff.
‘‘It was like, ‘Oh my God’,’’ Mr Abaza said.
‘‘We were told it had just taken off and like . . . just dropped from the sky.’’
About 10 minutes later, they heard that all had survived but had been badly injured.
‘‘Everyone was in a state of shock. We were all just standing around; nobody knew what to do,’’ Mr Abaza told the yesterday morning.
‘‘We were all just trying to find out information.’’
They went to Christchurch Hospital but only close family members were allowed to see the injured.
Mr Abaza could not believe that tragedy had struck just two years after the Christchurch mosque attacks.
‘‘We both lost many friends in March 15 attacks,’’ he said.
‘‘It was supposed to be such a happy day, that is the irony.
‘‘[The groom] has been through a lot in his life and we were so happy for him.’’
Al Noor Mosque Imam Gamal Fouda said a member of the mosque community had spoken to the injured pair, who were said to be in a stable condition.
Yesterday morning, Wyndon
Aviation which owns the helicopter released a media statement, saying it understood the ‘‘considerable interest’’ in the crash. ‘‘Our immediate thoughts are with the bride and groom, the photographer and our pilot who sustained injuries as a result of the accident.’’
A spokesman for the company said it would ‘‘not only be counterproductive but inappropriate to speculate on the cause’’ of the crash.
The Civil Aviation Authority is working with the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) to determine which agency will lead the investigation. —