CHC Helicopter Crash Kills 6

CHC Helicopter (FLI) said one of its aircraft crashed into the eastern Irish Sea Wednesday evening, killing at least six of the seven people on board.

The fatal accident occurred off the coast of England. The helicopter was carrying five energy workers and two crew members between natural gas rigs when it went down, the Canadian flight-services provider said in a statement.

Killed in the crash were pilots Stephen Potton and Simon Foddering, along with passengers Robert Warburton, Leslie Ahmed, John Shaw and Alfred Neasham, all four of whom worked for Centrica. The names were released by the Lancashire police and confirmed by Centrica.

The search is continuing for the seventh passenger, who has been identified as Costain Petrofac employee Keith Smith.

"All of us are deeply, deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and we are doing everything we can to help with the search and rescue operation," said Sylvain Allard, CHC president and CEO, in a statement. "This is a small community and these are our friends and family."

CHC was trading 3 cents higher at $20.97 Thursday.

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