Quebec Plane Crash: British Family 'Devastated'

A coroner has named the British family-of-four killed in a plane crash while on holiday in Canada.

The Hewitt family - Fiona, 52, Richard, 50, Felicity, 17, and Harry, 14 - were among five passengers who died along with the pilot, the Quebec coroner has confirmed.

The De Havilland Beaver aircraft took off from Tadoussac on a 20-minute sightseeing tour on Sunday.

It went down in good weather into a mountain near Les Bergonnes.

The remote location of the crash meant rescue teams took 24 hours to reach the scene.

The Hewitt family - from Milton Keynes - were reportedly on the last day of their trip.

A family member said: "The Hewitt family were visiting the area as part of a special holiday.

"Their families are devastated by the news of this tragic incident and are struggling to come to terms with the loss of the entire family.

"Please respect the family's wishes for privacy in this deeply distressing time and we ask to be left to grieve in private."

The pilot has been named as Romain Desrosiers and the fifth passenger was 28-year-old Emilie Delaitre, from France.

There are conflicting reports about whether the plane made a distress call.

Air Saguenay vice president Jean Tremblay said the pilot was highly experienced with more than 6,000 flying hours over 14 years with the airline.

"It was perfect conditions," he told reporters. "At first glance the weather conditions are not at all the cause, that is clear.

"It's not going so well. This is not a good day for us. It's very difficult for the Air Saguenay team."

The Quebec coroner will continue his investigation and issue findings in the coming months.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond offered his condolences following the crash.

"This terrible incident has taken the lives of all on board, including four British nationals. My thoughts and sympathy are with their family and friends at this difficult time," he said.

"Our High Commission in Ottawa is in close contact with the Canadian authorities and we are providing consular assistance to the relatives of those who were killed."

The airline offers sightseeing, hunting and fishing trips in Quebec's Saguenay Ford.

Another of its aircraft crashed into a mountain in bad weather in 2010, killing four people.