Helicopter Crash in Hawaii Kills 5, Including Newlyweds

A tourist helicopter crash has killed five people, including the pilot, on Hawaii’s Molokai Island Thursday.

The helicopter crashed and burned into a mountain ridge at around 12:15 p.m.

Federal officials at the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash that occurred near an elementary school. There are no reports of damages to the buildings on the ground and no children were injured.

A secretary at the Kilohana Elementary School, near where the crash occurred told CBS News, “When it hit you could hear just like an explosion.”

According to reports, the helicopter’s yellow tail is visible from the school grounds.

Newlyweds were among the dead in the Eurocopter EC-130 B-4 helicopter crash that was run by Blue Hawaiian charters. The aircraft was reportedly less than a year old.

The passengers consisted of two males and two females. An official from Maui told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the passengers came from Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.

The names of the victims have not been released yet, but the pilot was identified as 30-year-old Hawaiian native Nathan Cline.

Owner David Chevalier told the Associated Press that the passengers were on a 45-minute tour that departed from Kahului.

He said, “We’re extremely grieved for our pilot as well as the passengers. Something like this can’t be more devastating to us.”

Maui mayor Alan Arakawa told Hawaii News Now, “We truly want to express our sorrow to all of those whose families are involved.”

He added, “Blue Hawaiian, this is only the second accident they’ve had in the history of the company, so generally a very, very safe company.”

The island of Molokai is home to Hawaii’s tallest waterfall and is a mostly rural island with a population of around 7,000 people.