Briton left critically injured in crash
A 57-YEAR-OLD British man is in a critical condition after a helicopter reportedly plunged off a superyacht in Norway.
Two other British men – aged 53 and 62 – were injured in what is thought to have been a botched landing on the 60m vessel on Wednesday.
According to reports, the helicopter had attempted to land on the luxury yacht in Bergen Harbour, but lost control when a tarpaulin became entangled in the rotors.
Haukeland University Hospital confirmed that two men had been released from hospital having suffered minor injuries but said that the 57-year-old was critically ill.
Witnesses described seeing the helicopter “splash” into the water, and images later showed the aircraft being hoisted out of the fjord on the south-west coast of the Scandinavian country.
Kara Lynsdale, from London, was aboard the
tall ship in the harbour with her parents when she saw the incident unfold.
The 30-year-old said: “We sort of looked to our left and just saw this helicopter just fall into the sea.
“I literally saw it when it was quite low – it didn’t seem to fall from a great height or anything – I saw it while it was about in line with the boat.”
She added: “It just looked like it fell, it kind of just splashed into the water ... It almost looked like it rolled off the boat, or hadn’t landed properly on the boat and missed it.
“It fell from such a low height that it just plunged – it sank straight away.”
Miss Lynsdale said she saw a person being given CPR while being jetted across the harbour on a boat.
“A lifeboat came past with crew inside the boat giving someone CPR ... it was quite shocking to see them bomb past giving someone CPR in the back of the boat.”
Bergen resident Jan Haughland, 48, was taking photographs of the tall ship in the fjord when he heard a “crash and splash in one” at sunset.
He said he saw up to five boats race to the scene, including a passing passenger ferry that diverted from its course.