Helicopter crash survivors a credit to Southland

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

The three men who survived a helicopter crash on Monday are a credit to Southland.

Southland District councillor Ebel Kremer said the trio were the type of people needed in the south.

The three men had flown almost 500kms south of Bluff to perform a medical evacuation of a fisherman.

'They put their lives on the line for others all the time,' Kremer said.

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Kremer was full of praise for the men who were rescued on Tuesday afternoon.

'We need more people like that in Southland,' Kremer said.

It's fantastic for Southland to have those fantastically skilled people back in our communities, he said.

'We love the outdoors, we love exploring and it's great to know he have highly skilled rescue services in case anything goes wrong.'

The trio's helicopter plunged into the ocean, and the men swam to a near by island in the pitch black sea.

It's just a credit to their skill that when they found themselves in that situation, they survived, he said.

Te Anau and indeed all of Southland should honour the men and it would be nice to put something on for them after they recuperate, a bit of a welcome home, Kremer said.