People in a tight-knit Northwest Territories town were in mourning Wednesday as investigators began to probe a plane crash that killed six people 91裸聊视频� two crew members and four passengers headed for work at a diamond mine.

A lone survivor was taken to hospital.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 very, very sad. It91裸聊视频檚 sombre here,91裸聊视频� Kevin Antoniak, a longtime Fort Smith resident, said over the phone. The community of 2,500 lies along the territorial boundary with Alberta at the end of a highway.

91裸聊视频淵ou know the people who were on the plane but also the people that were flying the plane and the people who own the company. My next-door neighbour is the chief mechanic, so you can imagine what he91裸聊视频檚 going through. It91裸聊视频檚 just devastating.91裸聊视频�

The charter plane, a British Aerospace Jetstream 3212 operated by Northwestern Air Lease, was headed Tuesday morning to the Diavik Diamond Mine, some 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife.

91裸聊视频淪hortly after takeoff on Runway 30, the aircraft collided with terrain. There was a post-impact fire and the aircraft was destroyed,91裸聊视频� the Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating, wrote in an initial report.

The plane went down near the banks of the Slave River, in an area thick with trees, about one kilometre west of the airport. Rescuers parachuted to the scene. It was snowing at the time.

Rio Tinto, the mine91裸聊视频檚 owner, said the four passengers killed and the survivor were company workers.

91裸聊视频淲e are feeling numb with the devastating news that we have lost dear friends and colleagues,91裸聊视频� Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said in a press release.

The territory91裸聊视频檚 coroner service said the injured passenger was taken to the Fort Smith Health Centre then airlifted to the hospital in Yellowknife.

When news of the crash spread throughout Fort Smith, Rev. Aaron Solberg went to the health centre to lend his support to those affected, including first responders.

91裸聊视频淎 sort of eerie silence seemed to take over the whole town,91裸聊视频� he said in an interview.

That silence continued into Tuesday evening, as officials confirmed there had been fatalities.

Solberg hosted the usual 5:30 p.m. service at St. John91裸聊视频檚 Anglican Church, where he said people came in person and dozens tuned in online, including many who don91裸聊视频檛 normally attend.

Solberg, who has been in the community for about a year, said no one is unaffected.

Fort Smith town council offered help for those who are grieving, and invited them to drop by the local recreation centre for 91裸聊视频渟nacks, drinks and friendly faces.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e understand that you may not wish to be alone right now (and) that you may want to talk about it with others that are experiencing the same feelings of grief and trauma,91裸聊视频� the council said in a statement.

A candlelight vigil was planned for Wednesday evening. Messages of condolences poured in from other communities.

91裸聊视频淎s a community, we mourn with you for the lives of those lost and we offer our support during this incredibly difficult time,91裸聊视频� Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty posted on social media.

Fort Smith91裸聊视频檚 three churches have come together to put together the vigil.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e all there looking to offer people that encouragement, to offer that stability,91裸聊视频� said Solberg. 91裸聊视频淐oming together like this is really illustrating that when one of us hurts, we all hurt, and we must bear each other91裸聊视频檚 burdens.91裸聊视频�

Another Northwestern Air Lease plane was badly damaged last April while landing at the Fort Smith airport.

A two-member crew on board a British Aerospace Jetstream 31 was conducting training and, during the touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed, causing the plane to leave the runway, the Transportation Safety Board said in an investigation last year.

There were no injuries.

Laval St. Germain, a Calgary-based airline captain for Canadian North who used to fly planes in and out of the Fort Smith airport, said he has fond memories of working in the N.W.T.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a challenging area of operations, for sure, because of things like the weather, the remoteness, lack of services, that type of thing,91裸聊视频� he said.

Over the past decade, the number of plane accidents and fatal incidents in Canada has trended downward.

In 2022, there were 24 fatal accidents involving Canadian-registered aircraft in Canadian airspace, compared to 42 in 2012, said the safety board. The number of air travellers killed decreased to 34 from 63 within the same period.

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