Coroners Service investigating fatal plane crash on Gabriola Island

The BC Coroners Service has arrived at the scene of the fatal plane crash on Gabriola Island and has begun their investigation.

According to an emailed statement, the plane crash took place sometime on Tuesday evening. First responders say they received reports shortly after 6 pm and that a small plane crashed in “a wooded residential area on the northwest corner of Gabriola Island.”

Members of the BC Emergency Health Service (BCEHS) and the Gabriola Island RCMP arrived on the scene first, and BC Coroners Service followed after responders confirmed fatalities.

Investigators say significant debris remains at the site.

According to an emailed statement from the Coroners Service, its special investigations unit will begin working to “determine the identities of those who died and the circumstances that led to their deaths.”

The exact number is unspecified, but it’s said that there were “multiple fatalities.”

“BC Coroners Service identification specialists, in coordination with the Transportation Safety Board and RCMP, are gathering information from the scene to establish the identities of the decedents,” writes Andy Watson, Manager of Strategic Communications at the BC Coroners Service.

“Confirmation of the number of deceased and their identities will occur once identification has been definitively established and their family members have been notified. This process may take several days.”