Canada- Two RCAF members missing, two rescued after CH-147 Chinook helicopter crash near Ottawa River, Petawawa, Ont., 20 June 2023

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Two RCAF members missing, two rescued after helicopter crash near Ottawa River

The Department of National Defence says four of the Royal Canadian Air Force members were on board a CH-147 Chinook helicopter when the crash happened after midnight near the Ottawa River close to Petawawa.

www.thestar.com

''OTTAWA - The Royal Canadian Air Force is searching for two missing members following the crash of a military helicopter operating in eastern Ontario early this morning.

The Department of National Defence says four of the Royal Canadian Air Force members were on board a CH-147 Chinook helicopter when the crash happened after midnight near the Ottawa River close to Petawawa, Ont.

The Department says they were on board as part of a training flight.''
Two of the crew were found by first responders and taken to hospital in Pembroke, Ont., but the two others are still missing.

The department says about 50 Canadian Armed Forces members are searching for the two on shore and in the water, assisted by an Ontario Provincial Police marine unit, Petawawa and Pembroke Fire Departments and several military rescue aircraft.''

 

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/petawawa-military-helicopter-crash-river-missing-1.6882094

''DND has asked boaters to avoid the river near the base and its Black Bear Beach to avoid "potentially hazardous materials from the aircraft" and preserve the crash scene.''

''The Town of Petawawa says it has stopped taking water from the Ottawa River to its water treatment plant as a precaution and has banned non-essential watering, such as for lawns or gardens.

John Felix, Petawawa's director of public works, said the town is pulling water from Pembroke, which has three water tanks, and expects this to continue for up to four days.

He said the intake pipe in the river is 400 metres offshore and about seven metres deep.

"Until we know for sure that the river itself is cleared and we're good to go, we'll start resuming operations that we normally do and stop pulling so much from the city of Pembroke."

Neighbouring Laurentian Valley and Pembroke are asking residents to conserve water because of high demand "as we assist our (neighbours) with an ongoing Emergency." ''

 

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Two missing RCAF members found dead after helicopter crash near Petawawa

Military investigators are looking into what caused a Chinook helicopter to crash during a training exercise in Ontario, killing two.

torontosun.com

''The bodies of two Royal Canadian Air Force members were found Tuesday evening after an extensive search of the Ottawa River near Garrison Petawawa, which is about 160 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.''

''Two others who were on board the helicopter when it crashed just after 12 a.m. Tuesday were rescued and suffered only minor injuries. They have been released from hospital, the military said Wednesday, and are getting support from the Armed Forces.

“We are reminded today that this can be dangerous work, whether it’s carried out in support of military operations or while training for those operations,” said Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff.''

 

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Military releases names of RCAF captains killed in Chinook helicopter crash

Capt. Marc Larouche and Capt. David Domagala were both killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Ontario on Tuesday.

torontosun.com

Captains David Domagala, left, and Marc Larouche are seen in a composite image of two undated handout photographs. PHOTO BY HO /The Canadian Press