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3 Alberta government workers injured in helicopter crash near Camrose, union says

Three Alberta government workers were hospitalized after a helicopter crash Sunday near Camrose, says the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.

Four people — a pilot and three passengers — were in a Bell 206B helicopter that crashed around 10 a.m. Sunday in a wooded area near Range Road 161 and Township Road 462 in Flagstaff County, RCMP said in a news release Monday.

Three of the four occupants were taken by ambulance to area hospitals. The fourth was flown to an Edmonton hospital by STARS air ambulance, RCMP said.

In a news release Tuesday, the AUPE said the workers were counting deer and moose as part of a wildlife management survey.

The workers were all hospitalized in Edmonton as of Monday morning, the union said.

"We are thinking about them," AUPE vice-president Bonnie Gostola said in an interview.

"Our members are family and it's so important [they know] we know what they're going through and that we are here to assist them going forward with anything they might need."

Gostola said she hopes a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the crash.

"We're taking every effort obviously and every measure to make sure that this doesn't happen again," she said. "Every worker really does want to go home at the end of their day to their families and their loved ones."

One worker needed surgery, according to Gostola.

Occupational Health and Safety is investigating the incident and said that Alberta Environment and Parks and Delta Helicopters Ltd. employees were confirmed as injured, a spokesperson said in a statement to CBC.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has also sent investigators to the scene about 23 kilometres southeast of Camrose.

"Both Occupational Health and Safety and Transport Canada are investigating and jurisdiction will be determined. No further details can be provided as this incident is under investigation," OHS spokesperson Natasha McKenzie said.

Camrose is about 95 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.