The four Britons who were killed in an air crash in Quebec were a family on the last day of their holiday, according to reports in Canada.
Both parents, aged 40, and their two teenage children, a son aged 14 and a daughter aged 17, died when their light aircraft crashed into a mountainside in the Les Bergeronnes area of the Canadian province on Sunday, according to the Journal of Quebec.
The British family had rented a car in Ontario, and had been due to check out of the Hotel Sous La Croix in Tadoussac on Monday, the Journal reported. The village is a popular tourist resort at the mouth of the Saguenay river, where many go whale-watching.
The family’s baggage is reported to have been recovered at the hotel by the Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police force.
The Foreign Office is not releasing the names of the family until next of kin have been informed.
The family took a routine 20-minute sightseeing flight, operated by Air Saguenay, from Lac Long in Tadoussac. Flying conditions were said to be “excellent”.
The Canadian pilot, Romain Desrosiers, and a French passenger, Emilie Delaitre, 28, from Mandelieu-la Napoule on the French Riviera, also died in the accident. Delaitre was visiting Canada on holiday with her aunt and uncle, who were not on board, according to AFP.
Recovery efforts have been hindered by heavy rain and cloud in the densely wooded area where the plane crashed.
All six bodies of those on board have been found and have been sent to laboratory for tests, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
The foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, offered his condolences to the family. He said: “This terrible incident has taken the lives of all on board, including four British nationals. My thoughts and sympathy are with their family and friends at this difficult time.
“Our high commission in Ottawa is in close contact with the Canadian authorities and we are providing consular assistance to the relatives of those who were killed.”
Regional manager Jean-Marc Ledoux said it would take time to assess the cause of the crash.
“We’re taking the time to conduct a thorough investigation, and because it was a smaller plane there was no flight data record, which will obviously make matters more difficult,” he said.
“There will always be different factors that contribute to these incidents. It is always hard to say how long these investigations will take.”
