Tributes For Britons Killed In Helicopter Crash
Tributes have been paid to Britons who lost their lives in a "devastating" New Zealand helicopter crash - as bad weather continues to hamper efforts to recover their bodies.
Grandparents Nigel Charlton, 66, and his 70-year-old wife Cynthia - known as Helen - are the latest victims to be named after the aircraft came down at one of the country's best-known tourist spots.
A statement from the Hampshire couple's "deeply saddened" family said: "Grandparents to three children, parents to my brother and I and loved by family and friends near and far.
"They were very adventurous when it came to travel and this holiday was to be their last big adventure together."
They are believed to have had two sons.
Cambridge couple Katharine Walker, 51, and Andrew Virco, 50, were also among the seven people - four of them British - who died in the crash at Fox Glacier off the South Island.
Ms Walker was the head of radiotherapy at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where a spokesman said earlier: "Everyone at the hospital is devastated by the news and our thoughts go out to Kath's family at this very sad time.
"Kath was a much respected member of staff who had worked at Addenbrooke's for 23 years.
"We know many of our staff are going to be hit hard by this tragic news and we will be offering additional support for them."
The 28-year-old pilot, Mitchell Gameren, was from Queenstown. The two other passengers - Sovannmony Leang, 27, and Josephine Gibson, 29 - were from South Australia.
Reports in New Zealand said Mr Gameren was an experienced flyer.
Police said search and rescue teams had now recovered four of the victims' bodies during a break in bad weather.
They have been taken to Christchurch for post-mortem examinations on Tuesday.
Weather conditions are expected to worsen so the bodies of the remaining victims may not be recovered until Wednesday.
Inspector John Canning said: "The site is near the top of the glacier, it’s all ice, it's not level and there are blocks of ice as big as buildings with crevasses between them.
"There will be danger in getting teams into the area and traversing the area. While we're determined to return these people to their families, this will be a complex and technical task with an emphasis on the safety of those involved."
Weather conditions at the time of the crash have been described as "not ideal for helicopter flying".
Images of the crash site show the aircraft buried between walls of ice in a deep crevasse some 2,500ft (762m) up the glacier - with debris spread over several hundred metres.
The helicopter belongs to Fox Glacier Heliservices, which also trades as Alpine Adventures.
It is one of many companies that run helicopter and private charter sightseeing trips for tourists around the eight-mile-long glacier.
In a statement the firm said: "Fox Heliservices' thoughts are with the families of the passengers and pilot.
"The pilot was a very valued member of our team.
"The New Zealand Police and Civil Aviation Authority have taken over the investigation."
