Four killed in helicopter crash near Montreal

What the report says

Four people were killed when a helicopter crashed and caught fire in Sainte-Brigide-d’Iberville, a small town about 50 kilometres from Montreal, according to Quebec provincial police cited by BBC World News. Emergency responders were called shortly after 14:30 local time on Saturday and found the aircraft burning at the scene, where the occupants were declared dead.

Police said the victims had not yet been identified. Sergeant Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said the helicopter appeared to be private, and the identification process could take several days. The crash site was reported near Rang des Écossais road off Highway 10.

The Sûreté du Québec’s Major Crime Unit is leading the investigation, with help from crime scene technicians and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Police said an emergency call had reported a helicopter in distress that may have crashed and caught fire. By around an hour later, the fire had been brought under control, though investigators were still working at the site later that evening.

The incident matters because it raises immediate questions about the cause of the crash and the condition of the aircraft, but officials have not yet released those details. BBC World News reported the information through provincial police and other investigators on the scene.