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Helicopter had 'catastrophic impact' when it came down in North Sea
Peter Dominiczak02.04.09
The helicopter which crashed in the North Sea suffered a "catastrophic impact" with the water, Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said today.
In a statement to Parliament, MrMurphy praised the emergency services for their search for survivors on a "tragic day in the North Sea". MPs expressed their "collective sympathy and individual prayers" for those who had lost friends and family.
All 16 passengers and crew on board the Super Puma helicopter are feared dead after it plunged into the sea 14 miles off the Aberdeenshire coast yesterday afternoon.
The bodies of eight people were recovered from the water today and taken back to port.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the crash, and Mr Murphy told MPs there were "no indications" of a link to an incident when a Super Puma went down in the North Sea earlier this year.
He said: "The bodies of eight people are now with Grampian Police for identification procedures and the remaining eight are currently unaccounted for."
Alex Salmond told the Scottish Parliament that names of the victims of "this terrible tragedy" would not yet be released. The First Minister said the outlook for the missing passengers was "extremely bleak".
Last night the Queen sent a private letter of condolence to the families of the victims and Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed his condolences.
The aircraft, operated by Bond Helicopters, was flying back from the BP Miller rig platform in calm conditions. It issued a mayday that was picked up by air traffic controllers before it came down and the rescue operation was launched.
Bond spokesman Bill Munro said the company had "every confidence in the Super Puma family", and that its 700 helicopters working worldwide had an "excellent safety record".
Offshore union RMT called for the grounding of the helicopter model until it was clear what caused it to come down.
Reader views (1)
Will somebody please look at the Norwegian helicopters used to ferry people to the rigs. Then the uks. In the uks you are seated like sardines . To get out is impossible no matter what training unless you ditch from a low height. In the norwegian helicopters you have plenty of room and extra flotation before ditching. I know as im a contarctor working both sectors.
The uk penny pinches while norway puts their workers first. The word going around around is another piper alpha waiting to happen. our safety is poor. As I said uk ,its all about money. the oil companys get short shift from the norwegian safety inspectors. Well known fact. Uk ,poor,but the Government just closes its eyes. Profit before safety
- Mikeee, peterborough uk
