2 dead in New Zealand helicopter crash

Two people were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, police said, reported Xinhua.

Emergency services were alerted to the crash on the South Island at about 9:50 a.m. local time, a police statement said, noting the helicopter was a chartered craft carrying members of a hunting group.

The dead were the only occupants onboard at the time of the crash in Mount Aspiring National Park.

Three other members of the hunting group were located on the ground and brought to safety, the statement noted.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.