An aircraft has crashed near Fort Smith, and emergency personnel have been dispatched.
Shortly before 5 p.m., the NWT Coroner Service confirmed that there were fatalities in the incident but stated that “we will not be providing any additional information pending next of kin notifications.” The coroner service also advised that it has sent a team to Fort Smith who will work alongside its investigative partners, the RCMP and the Transportation Safety Board.
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) advised residents that Fort Smith Health Centre activated its mass casualty protocol at approximately 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday in response to the crash. That protocol will continue until official direction is received that the incident response has concluded, the NTHSSA stated.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said it’s deploying a team of investigators to look into an accident involving a BAE Jetstream aircraft registered to Northwestern Air Lease.
In Trenton, Ont., the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre confirmed the military responded after a plane lost contact shortly after taking off near the town.
The Air Force, RCMP and Canadian Rangers were all involved in the search-and-rescue, said David Lavallee, a public affairs officer with Search and Rescue Region Trenton.
Three Air Force squadrons provided air support, while police and rangers conducted a search on the ground, he said.
Lavallee said a CC-130H Hercules aircraft travelled to the site from Calgary and a CC-130J Hercules was sent from Trenton. A Twin Otter aircraft was sent from Yellowknife.
“Canadian Rangers located the aircraft near the Slave River, and (search-and-rescue) … parachuted into the site,” said Lavallee.
The Town of Fort Smith has asked residents to “stay away from the area to allow emergency response experts the ability to respond accordingly.”
“This is a new situation and the Town of Fort Smith is preparing to respond and provide support in any way,” a statement posted on Facebook read.
It was about -19 C at the time of the incident, according to Environment Canada. There was light snow falling.
—With files from The Canadian Press