Tragic helicopter occupants were en route to Kildare airport

A helicopter carrying five people which crashed in Wales, was on its way to Weston Airport near Leixlip.

North Wales Police confirmed that the wreckage was found in the Snowdownia mountain range in north Wales.

The light aircraft was travelling from the Milton Keynes area in England yesterday afternoon when the worrying developments occurred, and an official search was launched yesterday evening at around 4.15pm.

The crew of five businessmen were travelling in a helicopter owned by Staske Construction Ltd, which is run by Kevin and Ruth Burke, and they were supposed to be landing at the small airport between Leixlip and Lucan in the late afternoon on Wednesday.

The search is being carried out by crews from the U Coastguard and two search and rescue helicopters from Wales, while the Irish Coastguard has offered communications assistance. The search is being focused from the Caernarfon area of Wales after the Uk Coastguard lost radar contact with the aircraft yesterday.

"We have been asked to assist the UK Coastguard and are carrying out a communications search; the UK ARCC [Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre] are coordinating the incident," said a spokesperson for the Irish Coastguard.

"At the moment they are concentrating the search on the coast and inland, North Wales; the aircraft was due into Weston Airport so that's why they have asked us to assist."

The UK Coastguard's duty commander, Peter Davies, said last night: 'We have established a search plan between Caernarfon Bay and the shore of Dublin and currently have two Coastguard helicopters searching the route.

'We are in the process of contacting all the vessels in the Irish Sea that were in the vicinity around midday and we are continuing Mayday broadcast action for any vessels currently in the area to contact us if they have further information.

'At the moment we are appealing to these vessels and to the public that if they have seen a twin squirrel red helicopter to please contact 999 and ask for the Coastguard.' The UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Caernarfon carried out an extensive land-based search of fields and airfields within the Caernarfon area yesterday. The helicopter based at St Athan, also in Wales, later joined the search.