A First Air Boeing 737 went down in a remote section of the Canadian Arctic last night, killing at least 12.
The plane was traveling from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Resolute Bay and was carrying 15 people when it went down at around 1 a.m. nearing the end of its flight.
Bloomberg reported that the plane lost contact with air controllers ten minutes prior to the crash and only five miles from Resolute Bay Airport. According to the Associated Press, the crash site is less than 1.2 miles west of the Resolute Bay community.
12 passengers including crew members are believed to be dead– the two pilots are among the dead. According to Bloomberg, there were three survivors on the passenger jet that include a 7-year-old girl and 48-year-old man, who were taken to Ottawa hospital for treatment– the other survivor, a 23-year-old woman, remained hospitalized in Nunavut.
The President of the Air Line Pilots Association,Captain Lee Moak, released a statement following the crash.
“It is my sad duty to report today that we lost two of our ALPA brothers in the crash of a First Air 737 in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Details are very limited at this time due to the extremely remote location of the airport. I have been in close contact with the First Air MEC, and have assured them that any and all resources of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, will be available to them as we move forward,” Moak stated. He went on, “ALPA’s safety, critical incident response, legal, and benefits specialists have already started the detailed work of supporting the families of the crews and beginning the investigation into the accident. ”
“I extend my personal sympathies to the families of those who were lost, and all of our thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” Moak added.
The accident is currently under investigation but according to CNN, authorities have already located two black boxes at the crash site.
