Five bodies were initially found, according to the National Rescue Corps for Alpine Rocks and Caves (CNSAS), but the bodies of two others on board were found later Saturday.
“The helicopter, which had been missing since Thursday (June 9th), took off from Lucca airport with seven passengers and was found today on Mount Cusna, completely destroyed,” Italy’s National Aviation Safety Agency said in a statement.
The remains were found in Monte Cusna, in the Apennines in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, a few kilometers from Tuscany.
After 3pm local time (9am ET), CNSAS tweeted that unfortunately no survivors were found.
The victims are the pilot from the Veneto region and six passengers, four Turkish and two Lebanese, who were on a business trip to Italy. The official confirmation was given by the prefecture of Modena, the branch of CNN SkyTg24 announced on Saturday.
The helicopter appears to have crashed into the bed of a stream, the Lama, on the Passo degli Scaloni, 1922 meters above sea level, SkyTg24 reported.
Italy’s National Aviation Safety Agency said on Saturday it had launched an investigation and sent an investigator to the scene of the A119 Koala helicopter crash, the agency said.
The rescue operations were carried out by the CNSAS, the Italian fire brigade and the Italian police and Air Force personnel.
“We received coordinates, went to the place and found everything burned. The helicopter is in a valley, near a stream, we are trying to bring all the rescue teams to reach the area on foot, because it is difficult to get there with the winch, “a soldier said earlier Saturday in a video published in the inspection. Twitter account of the Italian Air Force.
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