Family of four killed in holiday plane tragedy
Seaplane crashes into side of mountain
The family were visiting the area as part of a special holiday. A relative of the Hewitt family
A RELATIVE of a British family of four killed in a seaplane crash while on holiday in Canada has said they are “devastated” by the tragedy.
Fiona Hewitt, 52, her husband Richard, 50, and children 14-yearold Harry and 17-year-old Felicity died in the crash, the Quebec Coroner’s Office said.
The family were reportedly on the last day of their sightseeing trip to part of Quebec when the small aircraft they were travelling in crashed into the side of a mountain, killing all six on board.
The impact was so severe nobody could have survived, and pilot Romain Desrosiers and a French passenger also died.
A family member said yesterday: “The Hewitt family, from Milton Keynes, were visiting the area as part of a special holiday.
“Their families are devastated by the news of this tragic incident and are struggling to come to terms with the loss of the entire family. Please respect the family’s wishes for privacy in this deeply distressing time and we ask to be left to grieve in private.”
The coroner’s office in Quebec said yesterday that it will carry out further investigations into the deaths in the coming weeks and its findings will be published in a report in the coming months.
The family had been staying in Tadoussac, a village popular with tourists around 12 miles from where their plane crashed, according to the Journal of Quebec.
The newspaper reported that the family had booked into the hotel for three nights and were due to leave on Monday, but their plane came down on Sunday af- ternoon in the Les Bergeronnes area.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond offered his condolences to the relatives of those killed.
Mr Hammond said: “This terrible incident has taken the lives of all on board, including four British nationals. My thoughts and sympathy are with their family and friends at this difficult time.
“Our High Commission in Ottawa is in close contact with the Canadian authorities and we are providing consular assistance to the relatives of those who were killed.”
A picture on the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s website shows the wreckage of the red and white Beaver aircraft on a rock edge next to thick woodland.
The plane, operated by Air Saguenay, took off from Lac Long in Tadoussac on a routine sightseeing flight before crashing.
An Air Saguenay official said the flight was supposed to last 20 minutes and flying conditions at the time were “excellent”.
But cloud and rain significantly hampered efforts to access the steep and densely wooded area.
Jean-Marc Ledoux, a regional manager with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said it would take time before the cause of the crash is known.