Briton killed in NZ crash named

Crash site at the country's Southern Alps on South Island

Fox Glacier is a popular destination for tourists and sports enthusiasts

A British tourist who was among nine people killed in a plane crash in New Zealand has been named by the Foreign Office as 24-year-old Brad Coker.

New Zealand Police said Mr Coker, from Farnborough in Hampshire, was one of four foreigners on the light aircraft.

The plane, which was owned by a skydiving company, crashed soon after taking off from Fox Glacier on the South Island at 1330 local time.

Irish citizen Patrick Byrne, 26, from County Wexford, was also killed.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was offering consular assistance.

The dead were from Britain, Ireland, Australia and Germany, said police. The pilot and the other four passengers were all local.

The plane was reported to be a Fletcher fixed-wing aircraft, commonly used in the area.

It is thought to be New Zealand’s worst aviation accident since a plane crashed on landing near Christchurch in 2003, killing eight people.

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission has begun an investigation into the crash.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *