Remaining Glasgow Helicopter Crash Victims Named By Police

Remaining Glasgow Helicopter Crash Victims Named By Police
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The remaining four fatalities of the Glasgow helicopter crash have been named by police.

They were identified as Robert Jenkins, 61 and Mark O'Prey, 44, both from East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, 33-year-old Colin Gibson of Ayr, South Ayrshire, and John McGarrigle, 57, from Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire.

A total of nine people died after a police helicopter crashed into the roof of the busy Clutha bar in the city on Friday night.

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Celtic coach Neil Lennon lays a wreath near The Clutha bar in Stockwell Street where a police helicopter crashed on the banks of the River Clyde

The confirmation of the last four names completes the formal identification of all those who died in the incident.

Two other victims who were inside the pub had already been named as 48-year-old Gary Arthur, from Paisley, and Samuel McGhee, 56, of Glasgow.

All three of the helicopter's crew died when the aircraft landed on the popular bar as it returned from a police operation at 10.25pm. They are pilot David Traill, 51, who died along with police officers Kirsty Nelis, 36, and Tony Collins, 43.

Confirmation of the names of all those who died came after officials revealed the search and recovery operation at the crash site has concluded.

The site is subject to an ongoing police investigation but management of the incident scene has been handed over to the city council.

Police Scotland deputy chief constable Rose Fitzpatrick said: "All nine names of those who died in the tragic incident last Friday in Glasgow have now been confirmed.

"Our thoughts first and foremost are with the families and friends of all those who have died. As our investigation continues we will of course go on providing support to the families involved.

"This has been a difficult and complex operation which has involved painstaking work and the skills of specialist personnel from across the emergency services. I would like to thank all those involved for their professionalism and respect with which they conducted this operation.

"I would also like to thank all those who have passed on their messages of sympathy and support. This continues to be of great comfort.

"The management of the incident has now been handed over to Glasgow City Council. The Police Scotland investigation, led by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), and the inquiry by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) both continue."

The final number of fatalities from the incident stands at nine.

Eleven people remain in hospitals across the city.

Yesterday it was confirmed that the bodies of all nine people who perished had been recovered from the scene during a "difficult and complex" operation for the emergency services.

Confirmation of the names of the final four crash victims came after police stressed they were "working hard" to formally identify the remaining people as soon as possible in order to bring some certainty to the families who have been waiting for news since the incident happened.

"As many have acknowledged, it has been a difficult and complex recovery operation, made the more challenging for those in the emergency services who have been working at the scene who have also lost their colleagues and friends," said Ms Fitzpatrick.

The wreckage of the three-tonne Eurocopter was yesterday removed from the building in a painstaking operation which allowed emergency services to search the area inside the bar.

The helicopter was loaded on to a lorry and is heading for the AAIB base in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Air accident investigators have already said that the helicopter made a vertical descent on to the Clutha bar and that the pilot made no mayday call.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) Assistant Chief Officer, David Goodhew, confirmed that the incident has now been passed to Police Scotland and the local authority.

He said: ''Our role has been to ensure the extraction of the helicopter from the crash site.

''Once this was completed it allowed our urban search and rescue crews access to conduct a final fingertip search of the scene which confirmed there were no further fatalities within the premises.

''We will of course continue to support our colleagues in the police and other partner agencies as they conduct their investigation. Two SFRS crews, including a team of specialist urban search and rescue firefighters, will remain in attendance.''

A minute's silence was held in Glasgow's George Square yesterday evening to mark the tragedy.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon added a wreath to the hundreds of floral tributes placed at the site of the crash. The teenage daughter of Mr Arthur is a Celtic and Scottish women's footballer.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to visit Glasgow to meet some of the people affected by the crash, and the emergency services who took part in the rescue operation.

Glasgow City Council chief executive George Black said: "Every Glaswegian is immensely grateful for the work the emergency services have done for us since Friday night.

"And every Glaswegian is immensely proud of their fellow citizens who ran towards trouble when they were needed. While the initial response to this incident has now come to an end, we still have work to do - in supporting those who are grieving or traumatised; in supporting businesses whose work has been disrupted; and, while for many people the city will never truly be the same, in helping Glasgow to return to something like normality."

Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael has paid tribute to the courage and character of the people of Glasgow and signed a book of condolence at the council's headquarters.

A book of condolence is also being opened at Westminster.

Carmichael has told MPs that an interim report into the causes of the helicopter crash will be published as soon as possible.