Former MLA killed in plane crash

 

Update 12:06 p.m.:

A former member of BC legislative assembly, Harold Long, has been identified as the victim in a float plane crash off Vancouver Island.

The BC Coroners Service says Long was the pilot and sole occupant of a Beaver float plane that overturned in Bute Inlet, northeast of Campbell River, yesterday afternoon.

Long died at the scene and his body was recovered later in the day.

Long, who was 72, served as a Social Credit member in the Mackenzie riding from 1986 to 1991, and again as a Liberal MLA for the riding of Powell River-Sunshine Coast from 2001 to 2005.

Premier Christy Clark said she was saddened to hear of Long's death and says he always embraced life with a great spirit and worked hard to make the province a better place.

The BC Coroners Service, the Transportation Safety Board and the RCMP continue to investigate this death.

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7:44 p.m. Tuesday: One person is dead after a seaplane crashed in Bute Inlet near Campbell River Tuesday night, officials say.

Victoria’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre received reports that a seaplane was floating upside-down in the inlet northeast of Quadra Island.

They said there were no witness reports of a crash.

The plane is believed to be privately owned.

A spokesperson for the rescue centre said they are not certain how the aircraft overturned.