Eight Killed In Helicopter Crash

TERREBONNE, La. -- Eight people are dead after a helicopter crashed Sunday in the lower southwest portion of Terrebonne Parish, according to Coast Guard officer Jaclyn Young.

There were nine people on board a PHI, Inc. helicopter at the time of the crash, which happened around 3:30 p.m. One of them was transported to a nearby hospital, while the Coast Guard was searching for the ninth person. It is not yet clear whether the eighth person who died was the person transported to the hospital or the person who was missing.

The U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Virginia picked up the signal and alerted the Coast Guard station in New Orleans, Young said.

According to their website, PHI, Inc. is a helicopter services company that provides transportation to offshore oil and gas, onshore mining, and medical and technical services industries. They are independently owned.

Last year there was an accident involving a PHI helicopter. In June, three PHI crew members and a patient they were transporting died after their helicopter crashed in Texas.

The exact location of the accident, as well as the cause, is not yet known. The Terrebonne Sheriff's Office and Airforce Rescue Coordination Center is assisting in the investigation.

The identities of the victims has not yet been determined.