In brief: Tourists killed in helicopter crash

Las Vegas – A helicopter taking people on a luxury sunset tour of the Las Vegas Strip and Hoover Dam crashed into a mountainside Wednesday, killing the pilot and the four passengers on board, federal authorities said.

The aircraft operated by Sundance Helicopters collided into the River Mountains surrounding Lake Mead just before 5 p.m., said National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz. Numerous witnesses heard the crash and reported seeing smoke about 4 miles west of the lake’s edge, Munoz said, and officials determined that all five people on board were killed.

The remote crash site, about 30 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, is not accessible by road, which slowed down the initial rescue and later prompted officials to delay any recovery and investigation until early today.

It’s unclear what might have caused the crash. The weather was mostly clear near Lake Mead on Wednesday, with a low temperature around 29 and winds around 5 mph. Munoz said there were no notable conditions that might have caused the accident.

Custodian arrested in girl’s death

Canton, Ga. – A 20-year-old maintenance man who passed a background check to be hired was arrested Wednesday in the beating death of a 7-year-old north Georgia girl who was abducted at her apartment complex where he worked.

Ryan Brunn, who also lived at the complex and had no known criminal record, was jailed on a murder warrant, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan.

Jorelys Rivera was last seen Friday evening leaving the playground to walk back home to get drinks for her friends. Authorities said they believe she was taken to an empty apartment, where she was sexually assaulted, stabbed and beaten to death. Her body was found Monday in a trash bin.