November 23, 2012
WELLINGTON (AFP) - New Zealand police said Friday they had recovered two bodies from the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed almost nine years ago with a British tourist and a New Zealand pilot on board.
The wreckage was spotted in mountainous terrain on Wednesday by the occupants of another helicopter flying over the remote Fiordland National Park in the South Island.
After visiting the site, police confirmed the chopper was a Hughes 500 that went missing while on a sightseeing flight in January 2004 carrying Briton Hannah Timings, 28, and local pilot Campbell Montgomerie, 27.
The helicopter disappeared in rough weather after setting off from Queenstown and remained hidden in rugged bushland until this week, despite an extensive airborne search at the time.
Police said the bodies had been recovered and the matter had been referred to the coroner, who would make a formal identification using DNA in the next few weeks.
