1 dead, 2 hurt in helicopter crash in remote Louisiana woods

BOUTTE, La. – Authorities say a helicopter has crashed in remote woods in south Louisiana, leaving one crewmember dead and two others with extensive injuries.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says the Hughes 369 helicopter crashed Sunday morning about 10 miles (16 kilometres) southwest of New Orleans in the locality of Boutte.

Sheriff Greg Champagne in St. Charles Parish says the helicopter came down along a power line right-of-way, and emergency crews could only reach the scene by airboat, helicopter and all terrain tracked vehicles. He says the two injured were rushed to a hospital, and the dead crewmember was found hours later under crash site debris. None were immediately identified.

Molinaro says the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

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This story has been corrected to show FAA now saying three people were aboard helicopter, not four people as local reports stated earlier.