One person is dead following a June 28 helicopter crash in Fort Good Hope. The deceased's body is on its way to Edmonton for an autopsy, the coroner's office confirmed on Tuesday.
No identity has yet been made public.
Days earlier, NWT Fire information officer Mike Westwick confirmed that the chopper involved in the crash was part of the wildfire operation near the Sahtu community.
"There has been a confirmation that an aircraft incident took place in Fort Good Hope during wildfire management operations," he wrote. "This is emerging situation, and the incident is being handled by the appropriate authorities."
On the day the news came out about the fatality, Westwick released additional statements.
“The ripples of these events spread far and wide in the firefighting community in the NWT, Canada and beyond, given the close and interwoven personal connections formed over many years. Our priority above all else is our team’s wellness," he wrote.
Westwick added that a critical incident debriefing team was immediately dispatched to the site following the crash.
“Counselling is available to members of our wildfire management team to help them process this incident."
He also noted that any staff or contractors, regardless of which worksite they were at across the NWT, who needed time off from work were given that opportunity.
“We will continue to support the contractor and investigators in their work to understand exactly what happened," said Westwick.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has launched an investigation into the crash.
"The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be deploying a team of investigators following an accident involving a Bell Textron Inc. B212 helicopter, operated by Great Slave Helicopters 2018 Ltd. that occurred [June 28] at Fort Good Hope Airport, Northwest Territories," reads a June 28 news release.
"The TSB will be gathering information and assessing the occurrence."