MONTGOMERY, Texas—Authorities say one person has been killed following a helicopter crash in a national forest north of Houston.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says the helicopter crashed on the afternoon of March 27, in an area of the Sam Houston National Forest near the city of Montgomery.
DPS says two other individuals were injured in the crash and taken to a hospital in nearby Conroe.
The injured are listed in stable condition.
The names of all the individuals in the helicopter were not immediately released.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. DPS says the crash took place during a controlled burn operation in the forest.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
The crash site is located about 70 miles north of Houston.
Mayday for Second Ship as Helicopters Rescue Cruise Ship Passengers Amid Norway Storm
Norwegian rescue authorities said a freighter has experienced an engine seizure in the same stormy Hustadsvika Bay region off western Norway, on March 23, where hundreds of people are being winched off by helicopter from the ailing Viking Sky cruise ship.
Authorities said they have had to divert two of the five helicopters rescuing 1,300 passengers and crew from the cruise ship to help the Hagland Captain cargo vessel’s crew of nine in the storm.
Both boats are trying to avoid being dashed on the rocky coast. The cruise ship is moored between the western Norwegian cities of Alesund and Trondheim. People are being winched off one by one, with one passenger saying she was terrified as she was buffeted by high winds.
Rescue workers said it will take hours to evacuate all those on the cruise ship.
The Norwegian newspaper VG said the Viking Sky cruise ship issued a mayday call as bad weather hit Saturday and engine problems caused it to start drifting toward the rocky shore. Police in the western county of Moere og Romsdal said the crew, fearing the ship would run aground, managed to anchor in Hustadsvika Bay, between the Norwegian cities of Alesund and Trondheim, so the evacuations could take place.
NEW: First responders are evacuating passengers stuck on a cruise ship off west coast of Norway as video shows rescue boats, helicopters arriving to scene of Viking Sky seen floating adrift in stormy weather after suffering from engine failure Saturday. https://t.co/Hh4uCLhYqW pic.twitter.com/jPbw3V5iBK
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) March 23, 2019
Rescue teams with helicopters and boats were sent to evacuate the cruise ship under extremely difficult circumstances. Norwegian media reported gusts up to 38 knots (43 mph) and waves over 8 meters (26 feet) in an area known for its rough, frigid waters.
Video and photos from people on the ship showed it heaving, with chairs and other furniture dangerously rolling from side to side. Passengers were suited up in orange life vests but the waves broke some ship windows and cold water flowed over the feet of some passengers.
#Update: OMG this video footage is just scary and insane! I can’t imagine what was going through those peoples minds, at the #VikingSky Cruise ship in #Norway, Video Credit: @alexus309 Video footage was from 3 and a half hours ago. pic.twitter.com/qhK86tuKHR
— Sotiri Dimpinoudis ❁ (@sotiridi) March 23, 2019
