Search for missing Morecambe helicopter man ends

MORECAMBE BAY, England, Dec 28 (Reuters) Air Sea Rescue teams looking for a seventh person feared dead after a helicopter crashed into the sea off northwest England called off the search late today.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the search ended after 22 hours because it was unlikley anyone would be alive after so long in the sea.

The search after yesterday evening's crash had involved two RAF helicopters, three RNLI lifeboats and three rig platform stand-by vessels with their associated fast response vessels.

''The initial search last night was launched very quickly and the search area has been thoroughly covered. All that could be done in terms of search and rescue has been done,'' said Jim Paton of Liverpool Coastguard.

''Sadly, all realistic hope has gone of finding a survivor at this stage of the operation.'' Six bodies were recovered from the sea after the helicopter went down off Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, at about 6.30 pm yesterday.

The aircraft, with two crew and five passengers, was picking up gas rig workers when it crashed 24 miles from the coast.

The cause of the crash is unknown. Air accident investigators have begun an inquiry.

Four of the passengers were named as Centrica employees: Les Ahmed, 48; Alf Neasham, 57; Jakie Shaw, 51, and Bob Warburton, 60. The missing passenger is Keith Smith, a contractor working for support services firm Costain Petrofac Ltd.

The pilots were named as Steve Potton and Simon Foddering.

Utility firm Centrica Plc, which produces gas from the Morecambe Bay gas fields, called the crash a ''tragic accident''.

''All of us at Centrica have been deeply saddened by the events of last night,'' Chief Executive Sam Laidlaw said. ''The priority for us is now to provide as much support as we can to the families and friends of the colleagues of ours who died.'' The helicopter's operator, Canadian company CHC Helicopter Corporation, said it was helping with the investigation.

''All of us are deeply, deeply saddened by this tragic accident,'' CHC President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Allard said in a statement. ''Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims.'' The helicopter, a twin-engine Eurocopter AS365N, had taken off from Blackpool airport to pick up gas rig workers to bring them back to shore.

It stopped to pick up passengers at two rigs and was 500 metres short of a third platform when it ditched in the sea.

Witnesses said it veered to the left before crashing. Police said they thought there was no time for the pilots to call for help. The bodies were recovered from the water. The weather was normal for the time of year.

Gas was discovered in Morecambe Bay in 1974. The fields can meet up to 8 percent of Britain's peak gas demand.

The bay was the scene of another disaster in 2004 when 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned there.

Reuters SBA VP0040