Three men died in a plane crash on May 4 near Smithers Landing.
The BC Coroners Service was investigating the deaths, spokesperson Andy Watson told Lakes District News.
Due to privacy concerns, Watson said the identities of the deceased wouldn’t be released.
The men were part of a group contracted by the BC Wildfire Service to conduct aerial imaging work.
The crash site was located by helicopter search crews in Babine River Corridor Provincial Park and a conscious male passenger was seen outside the plane, but the terrain made it impossible to get him out, RCMP Sgt. Darren Durnin said.
A rescue technician was lowered at a different location and walked to the site, where the pilot and two passengers were found dead, Durnin added.
The survivor was rescued by helicopter using a long line, then taken for medical attention.
Police said he is in stable condition.
The bodies of the three who died have been recovered.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed there were three passengers and one pilot in the plane when it crashed north of Smithers Landing, which is about 100 kilometres northwest of Burns Lake.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria received an alert at 8:45 a.m. on May 4 indicating that the aircraft – a Cessna 182 – was in distress about 28 kilometres north of Smithers Landing.
A Cessna 182 can hold up to four people.
– With files from Canadian Press
Blair McBrideMultimedia reporter
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