Dec. 30 (UPI) — Authorities have identified three of the seven victims of Thursday’s helicopter crash in Hawaii.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Kauai Police Department said pilot Paul Matero, 69, of Wailua, and passengers Amy Gannon, 47, and Jocelyn Gannon, 13, of Madison, Wis., were among the dead.
The other passengers are believed to be a family of four from Switzerland, including a 50-year-old man, a 49-year-old woman, and two girls, ages 13 and 10. Their names were not released.
Police said autopsies to positively confirm all identities were still pending.
Rescuers discovered the wreckage of their tour helicopter Friday, recovering six of the victims’ bodies.
The search began after the helicopter, owned by Safari Helicopters, failed to return from a tour over the Na Pali area Thursday evening.
Recovery efforts were suspended Saturday afternoon, and the scene has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board for further investigation, police said.
“We offer our continued condolences and prayers to the families and friends of the victims,” said KPD Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce. “As we continue to search for and recover evidence pertinent to this tragic helicopter crash, we hope to bring some sense of closure to the loved ones of the victims.”
