Helicopter crash in Morecambe Bay
Police have named the six victims killed and one man still missing after last night's Morecambe Bay helicopter disaster.
The helicopter was on a routine flight from the Millom West platform - owned by Burlington Resources Ltd but operated by Centrica - to the North Morecambe platform before continuing on its way to the South Morecambe platform.
While moving staff between oil rigs, the helicopter crashed into the sea, 24 miles off Morecambe Bay.
Eyewitnesses said they saw the helicopter approach the platform and 500 yards short it veered to the left and crashed into the water. No mayday was received before the accident.
There was "substantial" wreckage after the 20-year-old helicopter went down. The onboard flight data recorder, or black box, has a beacon attached, and investigators are in the process of locating it.
The cause of the accident is not yet known, the Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has launched an investigation.
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