No survivors have been found after a helicopter carrying a pilot and three state workers crashed in a shallow lake in Alaska's North Slope region.
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The helicopter had been chartered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the department said in a statement on Friday. It was carrying three employees from the Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey who had been conducting field work.
"DNR is praying for our employees and the pilot, their families, and the DNR team," the statement said.
"We are continuing to await updates from the search and rescue effort."
The Bell 206 helicopter was reported overdue on Thursday night. A North Slope Borough search and rescue team in a helicopter found debris matching the description of the missing helicopter, but no bodies had been seen or recovered.
The wreckage was found in a shallow lake near Wainwright, about 80 kilometres from Utqiagvik, the northernmost city in the United States.
The flight originated in Utqiagvik and was supposed to return there. No further information on the flight details were available.
The helicopter was operated by Maritime Helicopters Inc, according to a statement on the company's website. It confirmed the accident was fatal and said names of the pilot and passengers would be released pending notification of next of kin.
Australian Associated Press
