News
Two passengers of downed Cessna near Quebec have no vital signs

Jan. 6, 2009 CFB Trenton. Ont. Search and rescue technicians are at the
crash site of a downed Cessna near Quebec City assessing the
injuries of four people, two of whom have no vital signs.

Officials say low cloud cover initially hindered the efforts of
rescuers to find the plane after it lost contact with air traffic
control about 15 minutes after taking off from the airport in Quebec
City around 5 a.m.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at CFB Trenton in eastern
Ontario fixed the location of the aircraft about 65 kilometres
southeast of Quebec City in the town of
Notre-Dame-Auxiliatrice-de-Buckland.

Capt. Mark Peebles says four helicopters and a C-130 Hercules
transport plane were dispatched from various locations including
Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

While the aircraft searched for the crash site, Peebles says 911
dispatchers received a cell phone call from one of the passengers on
the aircraft.

A Griffon helicopter from Bagotville, Que., was the first to
locate the crash and a technician was lowered to the scene.

Two others arrived by parachute from the Hercules.

Peebles says Quebec police are en route to the scene via
snowmobile and that the passengers will be airlifted by Griffon to
hospital in Quebec City.