Search continues for downed helicopter

The search was continuing today for the helicopter which crashed into the North Sea, killing five people with another six feared dead, as the victims were named.

Mechanical failure is being blamed for the tragedy, which happened when a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter went down about 30 miles off the coast on Tuesday night.

The aircraft was on a routine journey ferrying staff to and from gas rigs when it crashed into the sea.

A spokeswoman for Shell UK said the Mayo, a diver support vessel mobilised from Aberdeen, had arrived off the Norfolk coast.

‘‘The investigation is continuing. Two ships are carrying out a sub-sea survey with sonar equipment and this is continuing unabated.

‘‘The Mayo has heavy lifting equipment on board,’’ she said.

The five men whose bodies have been found were named as Philip George Stone, 53, of Norwich, Norfolk; Stuart Coggon, 45, of Middlesbrough, Cleveland; Angus MacArthur, 38, from Maryburgh, Ross-shire, Denis Kelleher, 40, from Lytham St Anne’s, Lancashire, and Kevin John Taylor, 50, also from Norwich.

Norfolk Constabulary named the six missing men as Geoffrey Bispham, 51, from the North Walsham area of Norfolk; David Graves, 33, of Beccles, Suffolk; Douglas Learwood, 40, of Middlesbrough and Paul Francis, 48, from Norwich.

The pilot was Captain Phillip Mark Wake, 42, from the Norwich area and his co-pilot was First Officer Phillip Dearden, 32, from Norwich.

A statement issued by the family of Mr Graves said: ‘‘He was a wonderful husband to his wife Sharon for fours years and a fantastic daddy to Arabella, aged two, and Joshua aged four weeks.’’

A family friend said: ‘‘Mr Graves had been one of the passengers in the helicopter and had been working out at sea for two weeks and was returning home when the accident happened.

‘‘He has worked for Shell UK since starting an apprenticeship as a teenager.’’

Mr Dearden worked as an engineer for medical instruments company KeyMed in Southend, Essex, before becoming a helicopter pilot.

Peter Virgo, a director of KeyMed told the Southend Evening Echo: ‘‘He was a delightful and popular young man who was bright and enthusiastic about his work and clearly had a passion for flying.’’