Image copyright Facebook Image caption Ruth and Kevin Burke have been named locally in Milton Keynes as two of the crash victims

Five members of the same family have been killed in a helicopter crash in north Wales.

Two of those on board have been named locally as Kevin and Ruth Burke from Hulcote, near Milton Keynes.

They were believed to have been travelling to Dublin, where Mrs Burke was born, for a christening with three other adult family members.

A massive air and land search was launched on Wednesday when the aircraft vanished after leaving the Luton area.

Kevin and Ruth Burke are believed to have been directors of the Milton Keynes-based Staske Construction company - the registered owner of a Twin Squirrel helicopter.

This was the model that vanished from radar contact while over Caernarfon Bay.

It is believed Mr Burke was originally from Manchester and was a qualified pilot.

Supt Gareth Evans, of North Wales Police, said the crash site was in the Rhinog mountains between Harlech and Trawsfynydd and the bodies of all five people on board had been found.

A mountain rescue team found the wreckage.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch are now leading an investigation of the forensic recovery of the aircraft once specialist officers start recovery of the bodies.

But the police have said they might have to suspend recovery for the night due to worsening weather conditions and "treacherous terrain".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Supt Gareth Evans said it was an "agonising time" for the families of of those killed

Police said they were not aware of any plan for the helicopter to stop in Caernarfon as part of its route.

Formal identification of the bodies has not yet taken place and the coroner for north west Wales, Dewi Pritchard-Jones, has opened an investigation.

Police have not revealed the exact location of the crash and have asked for members of the public to stay away from the site "to allow emergency services and personnel access". An air exclusion zone is also in place.

"Their recovery is not just important to their families but also the investigation as it may help identify any contributory factors," added Supt Evans.

Image copyright AirTeamImages Image caption A Twin Squirrel helicopter similar to the one that crashed in Snowdonia

Family of those killed have been informed and the police have confirmed all five adults are "part of the same extended family from the Milton Keynes area".

Initial searches on Wednesday followed the intended flight plan of the aircraft over the Irish Sea.

But the Coastguard said on Thursday that inquiries led them to divert their efforts to Snowdonia National Park.

Prior to the crash site being discovered, UK Coastguard duty commander Mark Rodaway said: "These aircraft normally carry beacons that we can track by satellite - they're activated by salt water - we've not seen any of that and also mobile phone data has aided our inquiries in shifting inland."

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said the UK government would offer its full support to the investigation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said it "stood by to offer consular assistance".

The Eurocopter AS355 Ecureuil 2 (Twin Squirrel), made by Airbus, has a cruising speed of 140mph (225km/h) and a range of nearly 440 miles (700km).

Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning</s>LONDON (AP) - British police say mountain rescuers have found five bodies with the wreckage of a helicopter that disappeared on a flight from England to Ireland.

The privately-owned Twin Squirrel chopper failed to arrive in Dublin as scheduled after taking off Wednesday from Luton airport near London.

The British and Irish coast guards searched over the Irish Sea and the Snowdonia mountain range in north Wales.

North Wales Police Supt. Gareth Evans of said wreckage and bodies were found Thursday in "very difficult and challenging terrain" in the mountains.

He said weather conditions were "atrocious with visibility down to less than 10 meters (yards) in places."</s>The bodies of five people have been found with the wreckage of a missing helicopter in Snowdonia.

Police and mountain rescue teams had launched a major search after the helicopter failed to arrive in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon after leaving the Luton area.

Superintendent Gareth Evans, of North Wales Police, said the details of the victims were not being released by police but specialist officers were supporting their families.

The privately-owned Twin Squirrel aircraft is believed to have left Milton Keynes to fly to Dublin, via Caernarfon Bay, before disappearing on Wednesday afternoon.

An extensive search of the Irish Sea and Snowdonia was launched at around 4.15pm on Wednesday after the Distress and Diversion system lost radar contact with the helicopter.

The search was scaled back overnight due to poor weather conditions but North Wales Police and mountain rescue teams continued the search on the ground.</s>A helicopter with five people on board has gone missing over somewhere between North Wales and the Irish Sea.

The twin squirrel red helicopter is said to have left Milton Keynes on Wednesday en route to Dublin, via Caernarfon Bay.

But the chopper lost radio and radar contact this afternoon as it passed over North Wales, prompting a huge search operation.

A spokesman for the UK Coastguard said it was coordinating a search operation in the Caernarfon Bay area of North Wales and rescue workers had been scouring fields for clues but have now moved on to the Irish Sea.

UK Coastguard duty commander Peter Davies said: 'We have established a search plan between Caernarfon Bay and the shore of Dublin and currently have two Coastguard helicopters searching the route.

'We are in the process of contacting all the vessels in the Irish Sea that were in the vicinity around midday and we are continuing Mayday broadcast action for any vessels currently in the area to contact us if they have any further information.

'At the moment we are appealing to these vessels and to the public that if they have seen a twin squirrel red helicopter to please contact 999 and ask for the Coastguard.'

UK Coastguard is currently co-ordinating a search and rescue operation for an overdue helicopter in the Caernarfon Bay area. The privately owned twin squirrel red helicopter with five people on board is believed to have left Milton Keynes earlier today on route to Dublin, via Caernarfon Bay. Earlier this afternoon, Distress and Diversion lost radar contact of the helicopter, and after contacting all airbases with no sightings or radio contact, the UK Coastguard were notified at 4.15pm to start a search operation. The UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Caernarfon has carried out an extensive land based search of fields and airfields within the Caernarfon area and the helicopter based at St Athan has joined the search this evening. A Mayday Relay broadcast has been issued to all vessels passing through the Irish Sea route to contact the Coastguard if they have seen anything. A search of the Irish sea route is commencing this evening. The North Wales Police have also been notified of the search operation. UK Coastguard Duty Commander Peter Davies said: ‘We have established a search plan between Caernarfon Bay and the shore of Dublin and currently have two Coastguard helicopters searching the route. 'We are in the process of contacting all the vessels in the Irish Sea that were in the vicinity around midday and we are continuing Mayday broadcast action for any vessels currently in the area to contact us if they have further information. 'At the moment we are appealing to these vessels and to the public that if they have seen a twin squirrel red helicopter to please contact 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’ We have no further information at this time.</s>FIVE passengers who died in a helicopter crash in Snowdonia have been named.

Kevin and Ruth Burke, aged 56 and 49, Donald and Sharon Burke aged 55 and 48 and 51 year old Barry Burke all lost the lives in the "tragic" incident on Wednesday. The helicopter crashed in the Rhinog Mountains of Snowdonia.

North Wales Police recovery officers assisted by local Mountain Rescue Teams and HM Coastguard completed the recovery of the bodies this afternoon.

Chief Inspector Richie Green, at North Wales Police, paid tribute to the "professionalism, bravery and skill" of all those involved in what has been described as a challenging and distressing operation.

He said “Shortly before 3.30pm this afternoon the last of the five who were on board the helicopter were recovered and they have now been transported to a local hospitals mortuary.

"Thames Valley Police Family Liaison Officers have informed family members and we can now begin the very difficult process of formal identification. We’ll continue to support the family and I’d simply ask both media and public alike to respect their privacy at this time. Our thoughts remain with the extended family and their friends."

Chief Inspector Green added: “I would also like to thank the police officers and Mountain Rescue personnel not just for their dedication and skill in very trying conditions, but also the dignified and compassionate manner in which the whole operation was conducted.
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"Now all the bodies have been recovered the joint investigation with the Air Accident Investigation Board will begin in earnest to establish how this accident happened."

The crash site will remain cordoned off until the helicopter is full recovered - it is currently under Police and RAF guard.

A temporary exclusion zone over the crash site with a height of 5500 foot above sea level remains in place but has been reduced to a two mile radius.

"Recovery of the helicopter will begin, weather permitting, this weekend," Chief Inspector Green added.

"The work will led by the AAIB whilst North Wales Police will prepare a file for HM Coroner and assist the AAIB investigation.”

An appeal is being made to anyone who was in the Rhinog Mountains area of Snowdonia between 12pm and 1pm on Wednesday, March 29 and to those who may have heard or seen the helicopter.

Contact North Wales Police via the live web chathttp://www.north-wales.police.uk/contact/chat-support.aspx or telephone 101.</s>A massive search operation is underway after a helicopter went missing off the coast of North Wales.

The aircraft was carrying five people when it disappeared in the Caernarfon Bay area on Wednesday afternoon.

Contact was lost with the twin squirrel helicopter and a search was launched at 4.15pm.

UK Coastguard Duty Commander Peter Davies said on Wednesday evening: ‘We have established a search plan between Caernarfon Bay and the shore of Dublin and currently have two Coastguard helicopters searching the route.

“We are in the process of contacting all the vessels in the Irish Sea that were in the vicinity around midday and we are continuing Mayday broadcast action for any vessels currently in the area to contact us if they have further information.

“At the moment we are appealing to these vessels and to the public that if they have seen a twin squirrel red helicopter to please contact 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

It's understood the privately-owned helicopter took off from Milton Keynes and was travelling to Dublin, via Caernarfon Bay.</s>Five people have died in a helicopter crash in Snowdonia, North Wales police have confirmed. The bodies were found with the wreckage of a red Twin Squirrel helicopter following a massive air and land search on Wednesday afternoon
• Snowdonia helicopter crash: five people from same family killed</s>The bodies of five people have been found with the wreckage of a missing helicopter in Snowdonia, North Wales Police said.</s>Five people have been killed in a helicopter crash in Snowdonia, North Wales, according to police.

The privately chartered helicopter went missing over the Irish Sea last night (29 March) while en route from Luton to Dublin. It lost contact with radar operators at around 4.15pm.

The UK Coastguard conducted a large scale search and rescue operation. That search has now come to an end.

The bodies of the dead have not yet been formally identified but families of the believed vixtims have been contacted, according to the BBC.

MailOnline report that millionaire couple Kevin and Ruth Burke are the registered owners of the couple and that they were believed to have been onboard.

The exact location of the crash has not yet been revealed but the site is described as "remote and hazardous".

More statements and updates to follow</s>MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The official added that the identification of the victims had not yet been carried out.

“Police and Mountain Rescue Teams searching for the missing helicopter in Snowdonia have found wreckage and sadly the bodies of five people, all of whom are deceased,” North Wales Police said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday but it took the authorities nearly a day to find the crashed helicopter.

“The aircraft, a red Twin Squirrel helicopter had failed to arrive in Dublin from Luton yesterday afternoon instigating a full sea and then land search and rescue operation … Local conditions were described as atrocious with visibility down to less than 10 meters [about 33 feet] in places. My thanks go out to the professionalism and commitment of all those personnel involved in this operation,” superintendent Gareth Evans was quoted as saying in the statement.
A private Twin Squirrel helicopter crashes in the Rhinog mountains of North Wales, killing all five people aboard.