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Strathclyde Police have now confirmed 4 people were on board. I so hope it wasn't all family members. :(
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5Live: Police believe Colin McRae was on board, but that won't be confirmed until tomorrow

McRae And Son Confirmed Dead

Sky News

 

Police have confirmed that rally driver Colin McRae and his son were among four people killed in a helicopter crash near his country home.

 

McRae feared deadStrathclyde Police said the 39-year-old was on board the aircraft with his son Johnny, six, and friends Graeme Duncan, 37, and Ben Porcelli, six.

 

Ben had been at McRae's house playing with Johnny shortly before the crash, police said.

 

The helicopter came down at crashed within the grounds of Mr McRae's family home in Jerviswood, near Lanark, at about 4.10pm on Saturday.

 

Chief Superintendent Tim Love, divisional commander of Strathclyde Police's South Lanarkshire Division, told reporters witnesses had a described the helicopter making the noise of a "train" shortly before it crashed.

 

"It appears to be a tragic accident at the moment," said Ch Supt Love.

 

"There were noises coming from the helicopter that were unusual. These are from witnesses who were used to helicopters in this area."

 

He said it would be "difficult to tell it was a helicopter" from the wreckage and McRae and his passengers would have died on impact.

 

He added that police were offering support to the families of the deceased.

 

"The families are shattered, it is an horrendous tragedy for them. The families are respected in this area and it will have a devastating impact."

 

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) began examining the wreckage this morning.

 

Chief Supt Tim Love said the group was just returning from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter around 4.05pm yesterday, when it appears that the helicopter got into difficulty.

 

A team of around 40 firefighters were at one point dealing with the fire from the blast.

 

David Lowry, who owns New Steadings Farm, just across the Mouse Water from McRae's home, said he saw the helicopter come down.

 

He told Scotland on Sunday: "I was speaking to one of my friends on the farm. The helicopter came overhead and then dropped into the valley."

 

Mr McRae became the first Briton to win the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1995 and hails from a well-known motor racing family in Scotland.

 

His father, Jimmy, is a five-time British rally champion and his brother, Alister, is also former British rally champion.

 

As well as winning the world championship driving a Subaru in 1995, he was runner-up in 1996, 1997 and 2001.

 

Colin McRae is married to Alison and had two children, Hollie and Johnny.

 

Mr Duncan came from L'Ile Degaillot, Faycelles, France

 

What a dreadful loss of life

They announced it just before the F1 race at Spa - Belgium

 

His friend David Coulthard looked absolutely distraught.

 

RIP Colin

In a freaky twist of fate this afternoon his ex boss David Richards has had a helicopter crash :o :o but Richards and his wife survived

RIP

 

He was a legend, a man for us scots to be very proud of. i am very very shocked that he has gone... :cry:

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