Quebec Helicopter Crash: 4 Killed as Chopper Goes Down Outside Montreal

A helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a field near Montreal on Saturday afternoon, killing all four people who were on board, according to Quebec provincial police.

Police received a call shortly after 2:30 p.m. local time reporting that the helicopter had gone down and caught fire near Rang des Écossais, close to Highway 10, according to the Sûreté du Québec. The crash site is located in a municipality roughly 50 kilometers southeast of Montreal.

A spokesperson for the provincial police confirmed that all four occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency crews managed to bring the resulting fire under control within about an hour of arriving.

Investigation Underway

The identities of the four victims have not yet been released, and investigators have not determined what caused the crash. Police said the aircraft appears to have been a privately owned helicopter rather than a commercial one.

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The Major Crimes Unit of the Sûreté du Québec is now investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, according to the Associated Press. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has also dispatched investigators to the scene to assist with determining what went wrong.

Government Response

Canada’s transport minister, Steven MacKinnon, offered condolences to those affected by the tragedy. In a post on X, he said that authorities are closely monitoring the situation and that a Minister’s Observer would be appointed to oversee the investigation on behalf of the government.

At this stage, officials have not provided further details about the victims or offered any timeline for when the cause of the crash might be determined.