The body of the last victim of the North Sea helicopter crash that killed all 16 passengers and crew was recovered last night.
The fuselage of the Bond Super Puma, which crashed on Wednesday afternoon as it returned from an oil platform, was found earlier yesterday by divers from a support vessel off the coast of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
Seven other bodies along with the helicopter's combined cockpit voice and data recorder - the so-called “black box” - was removed for examination to determine the cause of the crash.
The Super Puma, operated by Bond Offshore, ditched into the sea last Wednesday on its return from BP's Miller oilfield, claiming the lives of all 16 men on board. The wreckage was located by the salvage vessel Bibby Topaz about 14 miles (22km) off the coast of Peterhead. The discovery brings to 15 the number of bodies that have been found. Specialist dive teams were yesterday continuing to search for the final body.
Grampian Police said they believed that two of those found were the pilot and co-pilot, Paul Burnham, 31, of Methlick, Aberdeenshire, and Richard Menzies, 24, of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. The force said: “Seven of the remaining eight victims have been recovered by divers. Families of all the victims have been informed of the current situation.”
Police could not say when the bodies would be taken ashore.
Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, said: “The recovery of more bodies is sad, but hopefully it can provide some little comfort and solace for grieving families. We know that it's vital that the helicopter is found to try and find out what caused the crash and to learn lessons and seek to avoid further tragedies.”
The Bibby Topaz was dispatched by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) on Saturday afternoon. A spokeswoman said that the combined cockpit voice and flight data recorder had been transferred to its headquarters at Farnborough, in Hampshire.
As well as the captain and co-pilot, the other missing men were Nolan Carl Goble, 34, of Norwich; Gareth Hughes, 53, of Angus; David Rae, 63, of Dumfries; Leslie Taylor, 41, of Kintore, Aberdeenshire; James Costello, 24, of Aberdeen; and Alex Dallas, 62, of Aberdeen.
Police have identified the other eight bodies recovered. These were Brian Barkley, 30, of Aberdeen; James Edwards, 33, of Liverpool; Vernon Elrick, 41, of Aberdeen; Mihails Zuravskis, 39, of Latvia; Raymond Doyle, 57, of Cumbernauld; Nairn Ferrier, 40, of Dundee; Warren Mitchell, 38, of Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire; and Stuart Wood, 27, of Aberdeen.
Prayers for the dead men were said at a service yesterday at the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting church in Aberdeen, where a book of condolence has been opened. The Rev Andrew Jolly, chaplain to the UK Oil and Gas Industry, said that the entire city of Aberdeen was grieving.
“For many, today is a day of sorrow and pain. The UK Oil and Gas Industry grieves for those who perished offshore and for their families. We cannot begin to imagine the pain and sorrow their loved ones feel at their loss. The offshore world is a big industry but a small family,” he added.
Bond Offshore faced calls for its fleet of Super Pumas to be grounded yesterday after it emerged that a suspension of flights lasted just 48 hours. Jake Molloy, regional organiser of the RMT union, said that the two-day suspension was “inappropriate”. A spokesman for Bond said: “The aircraft are licensed, approved, certified, and the authorities have not said they should not fly.”
Some victims' families have called for a public inquiry into the crash. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, has indicated that he is considering such a move.
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