Kaikōura's mayor is praising locals’ selfless acts of courage after they rushed to the wreckage of yesterday’s fatal helicopter crash to help those onboard.
Craig Mackle told 1 NEWS what they did “would take a great deal of courage” and that he was “very, very proud”.
“With your jet fuel and what have you, you never quite know what's going to happen. Something seems to take over you in those situations,” Mackle said.
“I suppose on health and safety you could probably say it was not quite right, but this just seems to be what we do here. It's a small town thing.”
Two adults were killed in the crash and three children were injured. (Source: Other)
Mackle said he would be getting in touch with those people personally.
"Our thoughts from the community are with the family and friends involved with the incident."
Two people died and three children remain in Wellington Hospital after yesterday’s crash. As of this morning, two of the children are stable and one is in intensive care.
Police this afternoon named the deceased as 60-year-old Andrew Hamish Davidson and 39-year-old Lin Chen, both of Ohoka in Canterbury.
The helicopter went down north of Kaikōura at the Kekerengu River mouth just before 1pm.
Locals said they rushed to the wreckage to drag occupants from the helicopter.
Store worker Murray Harford said, "we all just heard a bang as it hit the ground and all the locals rushed out and rallied around with blankets and that sort of thing, and we managed to get some of the people out of the helicopter".
Coastal Lodge owner Ian Mhertens said three children were aboard the helicopter as it crashed near Kaikōura. (Source: Other)
"Came out, saw it, sprinted down here," Joshua King said. "Went over by the crash and helped out as much as I could."
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has now opened an inquiry to find out how the accident happened.
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