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3 dead in Coast Guard helicopter crash

Three people are dead after a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter crashed into icy Arctic seas Monday night.

The victims were on the Coast Guard icebreaker the Amundsen, said spokeswoman Rachelle Smith.

"There was the pilot and an officer and a researcher from the Amundsen. It's terribly tragic."

The Messerschmitt BO-105 helicopter crashed in the waters of M'Clure Strait off the coast of Banks Island in the Western Arctic.

The Amundsen is a dual-purpose vessel, assigned to ice-breaking in the winter and to supporting scientific research in the summer.

The ship is also fully equipped for search and rescue, pollution control and other coast guard duties.

The Transportation Safety Board says it will be investigating the crash.



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