Last updated at 22:42pm on 27th December 2006
Five people died and two more were missing last night after a helicopter crashed into the Irish Sea.
Coastguard vessels, RAF rescue helicopters and lifeboats were last night combing Morecambe Bay in a desperate search for survivors.
They found five bodies last night, police said.
The Dauphine helicopter crashed 20 miles off the Lancashire coast while taking five workers to a gas field.
It had taken off from Blackpool airport with a crew of two.
Contact with the aircraft was lost at around 6pm, according to Michael Mulford, of the RAF Air Rescue Coordination Centre at Kinloss in Morayshire.
The helicopter is thought to have gone down directly west of Fleetwood on the Fylde coast.
It is thought to have run into trouble suddenly, leaving the pilot no time to send out a mayday message.
The first alert to Liverpool Coastguard came from a nearby vessel that reported seeing the crash.
Mr Mulford said rescuers had to 'remain optimistic' but things were not looking good.
'We have plenty in the way of infrared and searchlights.'
He said the site of the helicopter's distress beacon had been located.
'What we are picking up are electronic signals from a very small area, which allows us to concentrate resources in that area.'
He said the passengers' chances of anyone surviving would depend on how the helicopter hit the water.
Lancashire Constabulary are setting up an incident room in Blackpool to help coordinate the rescue attempt.
A spokesman said: 'A helicopter has been ditched in Morecambe Bay, seven people are believed to have been on the aircraft, and a rescue operation is in progress.'
It is believed the ditched aircraft is registered in Aberdeen.
DailyMail
