Norway helicopter crash: At least 11 bodies found, 2 people still missing, says rescue official

King Harald of Norway and his wife Queen Sonja are cancelling a trip to neighboring Sweden to attend the Swedish king’s 70th birthday on Saturday because of the crash that authorities say killed all 13 people aboard an oil-rig helicopter.

In a brief statement, the palace said Friday the king would not travel to Stockholm to attend the birthday celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf. Instead, the Norwegian royal house will be represented by the king’s daughter, Princess Martha Louise, and her husband Ari Behn.

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“They are searching in the hope of finding survivors. So far we have not seen any sign of survivors,” Sola rescue centre spokesman Anders Bang Andersen told reporters.

He told AFP that the chopper had been en route to the Bergen airport Flesland when it crashed with 13 people on board, including two crew members.

“The helicopter has been located and we are doing everything possible to rescue the occupants,” he added.

Several witnesses described seeing the aircraft spiral downwards, followed by a powerful explosion, and people were seen in the sea.

“There was an explosion and a very peculiar engine sound, so I looked out the window. I saw the helicopter falling quickly into the sea. Then I saw a big explosion,” a local resident told local daily Bergensavisen.

“Pieces (of the helicopter) flew into the air,” she said, adding that she saw a rotor blade detach.

Some media outlets reported that people had been rescued, but the reports were contradictory and Bang Andersen was not able to confirm or deny them.

“Horrible reports of a helicopter crash,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg tweeted. “I’m being continuously briefed on the
rescue operations.”

Live footage showed leisure boats rushing toward the scene, where thick black smoke was billowing into the sky.

The accident took place around noon (1000 GMT), and more than an hour later boats could be seen criss-crossing across the water as helicopters hovered overhead. Divers were seen at the site, and ambulances were parked on shore.

On Twitter, police urged people to refrain from using drones in the area.

The helicopter was returning from the Gullfaks B platform, in one of Norway’s biggest offshore oil fields, which is operated by state-owned Statoil.

Media reports had initially spoken of up to 17 people on board.

(With inputs from AFP, AP, Reuters)