CBC

Fri Apr 28, 3:17 am

Fiery helicopter crash kills two in Quebec

Two people are confirmed dead in a helicopter accident in Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, about 20 kilometres east of Montreal.

The accident happened Thursday evening shortly after the helicopter took off from a nearby private airport.

A witness to the accident said the rotors broke off the helicopter in mid-air, it dropped to the ground in a field near Highway 20 and burst into flames.

People used four-wheel drive vehicles to reach the burning wreck, but found no survivors.

Witnesses say the helicopter had disintegrated and wreckage is scattered over a large area.

The helicopter was a privately owned Bell Jet Ranger, designed to carry four people, plus a pilot.

Police aren't ruling out the possibility that more than two people may have been in the helicopter. For now, they're trying to identify the bodies they have found.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), April 28, 2000