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The bodies of all five people with Irish links who died when their helicopter crashed in Wales on Wednesday have been recovered by rescue workers.
The five have been identified as Kevin and Ruth Burke aged 56 and 49, Donald and Sharon Burke aged 55 and 48, and Barry Burke (51), all from the greater Milton Keynes area.
The three men, believed to be brothers travelling with two of their wives, were on the way to a family confirmation service when the helicopter crashed.
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Their bodies were found near the wreckage in the Rhinog Mountains near Trawsfynydd on Thursday. A major search operation began on Wednesday when the privately-owned Twin Squirrel aircraft failed to arrive in Dublin.
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Bad weather had hampered the work of specialist teams trying to recover the bodies, with North Wales Police describing the crash site as “remote and treacherous”.
Ruth Burke is believed to be originally from Dublin while Kevin, Barry and Donald Burke are the sons of a Co Mayo man who moved to the UK many years ago.
The helicopter was making its way from England to Weston Airport in Dublin with the passengers said to have been coming to Ireland for a family confirmation.
The family had strong ties to Co Mayo. In Beesie’s Bar in Kilcummin, Noel Collins said his cousin Kevin Burke and wife Ruth were due on Saturday had they arrived safely in Ireland.
He said Kevin and his brothers were frequent visitors to their ancestral village, often travelling in Kevin’s helicopter.
One of the last occasions they visited was in August last year for a barbecue in the grounds of the family’s holiday home, originally built by Kevin’s late father, Donal.
“Kevin would go out farming with me as a lad, making turf, saving hay,” said Noel. “In later years, like the others, he would help out in the bar.”
Kevin and Ruth Burke, directors of Staske Construction, owned a Twin Squirrel.
The victims have not been formally identified but their families are being supported by specialist officers from Thames Valley Police.
Six children
A family spokesman said: “Six children have lost their parents in this tragedy. At this stage the family wants to be left alone to be able to deal with their grief over this terrible loss and concentrate upon looking after the children.”
Chief Inspector Richie Green, at North Wales Police, said: “Shortly before 3.30pm this afternoon the last of the five who were on board the helicopter were recovered and they have now been transported to a local hospital’s mortuary.”
A joint investigation led by the UK Air Accident Investigation Bureau is now under way, with a “large team of inspectors” gathering evidence on site, a spokesman said.
– Additional reporting PA