Eight people died and a further eight remained unaccounted for after an oil platform helicopter crashed into the North Sea off the coast of Scotland Wednesday, dpa reported.
"We can confirm that eight bodies have been recovered from the North Sea...The remaining eight persons are unaccounted for," said a police statement issued in the port city of Aberdeen.
The Bond Puma helicopter was returning from an oil platform in the North Sea operated by British Petroleum (BP) when it came down some 50 kilometres off the port city of Aberdeen.
Coastguards and the Royal Air Force launched a major search-and- rescue operation shortly after the crash.
Helicopter operator Bond confirmed it was one of its aircraft which was involved in the incident which comes around six weeks after a Bond Super Puma with 18 people on board ditched in the North Sea. Everyone survived that accident.