Five killed in Hawaiin helicopter crash

Five people have been killed in Hawaii when their helicopter crashed into a mountain in thick cloud, officials said today.

Among the dead was a woman who had survived for several hours beside the bodies of her partner, another couple, and the pilot.

The Bell 206B helicopter, which was on a sightseeing trip, crashed about 4,300ft up Mt Waialeale in a crater known as the wettest spot on Earth, said police spokesman Miles Tanabe.

The alert was sounded after it was three hours late returning from an hour-long trip yesterday on Kauai, which is west of Oahu in the island chain.

It was the second fatal helicopter crash in Hawaii in six weeks.

On June 15, a sightseeing helicopter crashed on Hawaii’s Big Island near the Kilauea Volcano, killing four people.