Two people have died in a helicopter crash on the coast of B.C. on Tuesday morning.
West Coast Helicopters, which has bases in Port McNeill, Campbell River, Port Alberni and Bella Coola, shared the incident on Facebook.
“We are deeply saddened to share the loss of a member of our work family at West Coast,” the company said in a Facebook post.
Around 6:15 a.m., a helicopter with three people on board was in the Loughborough Inlet, which is on the B.C. coast on the north side of the Discovery Islands archipelago, for forestry operations when the machine went down.
West Coast Helicopters says two people died while one person survived.
Riley Browne from West Coast Helicopters was one of the two on board who did not survive.
“Riley was a good friend and pilot to all who worked with him. He always had a smile on his face, eager to help,” West Coast Helicopters said on Facebook.
“Riley started his flying career at WCH in 2021. He was one of the pillars of the company. We all loved him.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed to CHEK News it is responding to the helicopter crash, and its team of investigators are set to arrive on site on Wednesday morning.
CHEK News has reached out to CFMG and will update if a response is received.
SEE ALSO: Sooke pilot killed in Colorado helicopter crash while battling wildfire