CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Two people were killed when a small plane crashed in central Quebec, authorities said Thursday.
Two other people aboard the Kingair twin-engine plane survived the accident, which occurred late Wednesday in a wooded area of the Saguenay region.
Toronto-based mining company Iamgold Corp. (TSX:IMG) confirmed that the two injured passengers were its employees and said the accident occurred near its Niobec mine near Chicoutimi, Que.
“The two passengers on board were Iamgold employees who sustained non life-threatening injuries. The cause of the accident is unknown,” the company said in a statement.
An official at the military’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario said the plane went down at about 11 p.m.
Authorities had initially reported three people dead in the crash, but later corrected themselves.
The victims were both in their twenties, from Baie-Comeau, Que.
The Trenton official said the plane was trying to land at the St-Honore, Que., airport after leaving Val d’Or earlier in the evening.
A Hercules airplane from CFB Trenton and a Griffon Helicopter from CFB Bagotville assisted in the search for the plane.
There was no immediate word on what caused the crash, and investigations have been launched by the provincial police and the federal Transportation Safety Board.