Airplane Tragedy in Canada’s Northwest Claims Lives of Rio Tinto Employees

An aircraft crashed on Tuesday, January 23, in Canada's Northwest Territories, close to Fort Smith, killing an unknown number of persons en route to a diamond mine, according to authorities.

The international mining firm Rio Tinto released a statement on Tuesday claiming that some of the plane's passengers were employees. The number of workers killed in the disaster was not disclosed by the corporation. It was said that the aircraft was on its way to a diamond mine owned by the company.

Investigation Underway

A press statement acquired by CNN states that the Northwest Territories coroner confirmed the presence of victims but did not provide an exact number.

"At this time, we can confirm there are fatalities but we will not be providing any additional information pending next of kin," said Northwest Territories Coroner Garth Eggenberger.

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority reported that at around 8:50 AM local time on Tuesday, the Fort Smith Health Centre implemented its mass casualty procedure in response to the accident.

Canadian Rangers, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Patrol (RCMP) were among the groups that responded to the tragedy. In the aftermath of the accident, Fort Smith was also visited by investigators from the Transportation Safety Board and the Northwest Territories coroner's office.

The plane involved is a British Aerospace Jetstream that is registered to Northwestern Air Lease. The website of Northwestern Air Lease states that the plane can accommodate a maximum of 19 people.

Symphaties From Premier

Premier of the Northwest Territories RJ Simpson issued a statement expressing his profound sympathies to the friends, family, and loved ones of the aircraft crash victims. He also emphasized the need for affected individuals to seek help and make use of government-provided mental health facilities.

Simpson warned that the impact of this event will be felt across the area. "The people we lost were not just passengers on a flight; they were neighbors, colleagues, friends, and loved ones. Their stories and contributions to our communities will not be forgotten," he added.

Rescue Mission

Public relations officer David Lavallee of the Royal Canadian Air Force in Winnipeg told CBC News that on Tuesday morning, the Canadian Rangers and the Royal Canadian Air Force were called upon in response to a report of an aircraft losing communication west of Fort Smith. Reportedly, visibility was low in the early hours of Tuesday but had improved by about 10:00 AM local time.

Lavallee said that the Air Force sent help from Yellowknife and Trenton to assist with the search and rescue. Extra troops were also sent to Calgary. The ground searches were also carried out by the RCMP and Canadian Rangers.

Fort Smith authorities requested that the public remain away from the scene of the collision until they could attend to the situation on Tuesday morning.