Washington, Feb 29 (UNI) A search and rescue helicopter that belonged to US-based civil helicopter operator Bristow Group crashed on Wednesday 15 nautical miles west of the Norwegian city of Bergen, leaving five crew members injured and one person dead, the company said.

"Earlier on Thursday, Bristow Group Inc. confirmed that one of its search and rescue helicopters, registration LN-OIJ, with six crew members onboard, was involved in an accident during a training exercise approximately 15 nautical miles west of Bergen, Norway. It is with deep sadness that we can report that one fatality has been confirmed," the company said on the website.

The company added that it was mobilising the full resources of its incident response team and was in the process of contacting and providing assistance to family members of the helicopter's crew members. Our highest priority is to take care of our crew and their family members and provide them with any assistance needed.

"The company is in the process of collecting pertinent information and will provide updates as appropriate," the statement said.

Bristow Group said earlier in the day that the helicopter crashed around 18:40 GMT while conducting a training exercise. Following the crash, all six people aboard the helicopter, including two pilots, were rescued from the sea and transported to a hospital in Bergen.
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