A helicopter crash left at least three people dead and four injured on Saturday night, and emergency workers had a hard time reaching the accident as it was at the bottom of The Grand Canyon.
The crash took place at around 5:30 p.m., right on the Hualapai Nation reserve in The Grand Canyon in Arizona. According to a report by DailyMail, the Eurocopter EC130 was out for a tour of the geological wonder when it went down under “unknown circumstances.” The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are launching a full investigation into the incident.
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The copter had seven people on board when it crashed. Witnesses rushed to the scene as fast as possible, but the aircraft landed 600 feet down inside the canyon. Both witnesses and first responders had to climb down a treacherous slope to reach the victims.
“At approximately 5:20 p.m. (7:20 p.m. ET) a Papillon Airways EC-130 vessel carrying a pilot and six passengers was reported to have crashed near Quartermaster Canyon, within the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai Nation,” said police chief Francis E. Bradley Sr. of the Hualapai reservation.
“Three passengers are confirmed deceased and there are four level 1 trauma patients at the scene,” Bradley said.
Teddy Fujimoto, a photographer, saw the crash firsthand. He told reporters that he was in the Grand Canyon to take wedding pictures for some friends when the accident occurred.
“Our pilot and other pilots all started running,” he said. “I followed them and I saw smoke. Immediately saw two girls. I could see that they were alive and conscious. They were in their 30s or 40s.”
Fujimoto said the scene was one of confusion and helplessness before emergency crews arrived.
“A lot of chaos going on,” Fujimoto recalled. “They were down in the valley, around 600 feet down from where we were. People made their way down. It was certainly dangerous and a mazy climb down for them.”
“It took around 10 minutes for the emergency services to arrive,” he continued. “By the time they did, most of the fire was out.”
Fujimoto says that the experience is not one he’ll soon forget.
“Everybody was in shock. I just felt horrible,” Fujimoto said. “You could hear the screaming loudly, even from all that way away. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
