Military assistance heading to N.L. for plane crash recovery

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness says the federal government will be sending assistance for the recovery efforts of the Air Saguenay flight that crashed in Newfoundland and Labrador earlier this month.

Ralph Goodale announced on Friday that he and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan accepted a request from Newfoundland and Labrador’s government for help.

The statement says the government will be sending personnel and equipment from the Canadian Armed Forces to help recover remains and other things in Mistastin Lake.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence says the recovery effort is still being led by the RCMP but the CAF’s underwater search team is providing unique capabilities.

The RCMP’s B Division will have military assistance from the Joint Task Force Atlantic to search for missing passengers under water between July 29 to August 6.

The DND says six members of its Fleet Diving Unit from Halifax and special equipment to help find items under water consistent with the depths of Mistastin Lake will be sent.

They say some of the equipment includes a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) portable inspection device, a sonar device, and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with an advanced tracking system and a deep-water ROV.

Seven men, including the pilot, were on board the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver travelling from Three Rivers Lodge to Mistastin Lake when the plane crashed on July 15.

The bodies of four men have been found and the search continues for the three others.