Five die after copter crashes in Hawaii

HONOLULU – A helicopter taking four tourists on an excursion over West Maui and the neighboring island of Molokai crashed into a mountainside near an elementary school Thursday, killing all of the tourists and the pilot, authorities said.

Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said firefighters recovered four bodies and believe they found a fifth at the crash site on the eastern part of Molokai, but they were having trouble retrieving it under the wreckage.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters owner David Chevalier confirmed that five people were dead. He said the passengers were two men and two women from the mainland U.S. who were taking a 45-minute tour.

He declined to release the pilot’s name because his wife had not been notified.

“We’re extremely grieved for our pilot as well as the passengers,” he said. “Something like this can’t be more devastating to us.”

The EC-130 chopper was less than a year old, Chevalier said.