Four bodies recovered from last week’s fatal helicopter crash near New Orleans

The bodies of four people killed in a helicopter crash near New Orleans last week have been recovered, company officials said Tuesday.

The craft, carrying a pilot and three passengers, came down at 8:40 a.m. Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico after it picked up workers from a platform operated by Houston-based Walter Oil & Gas, officials said.

The three companies said in a joint statement that “the remains of all four occupants in the aircraft involved in the event (Thursday) in the West Delta area, have been recovered.”

The joint statement was issued by Walter Oil & Gas; the chopper’s operator, Rotorcraft Leasing Co.; and the workers’ employers, Island Operating Co.

The companies declined to name the victims.

The Bell 407 helicopter crashed about 10 miles from the shipping channel Southwest Pass, at the mouth of the Mississippi River southeast of New Orleans, officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the pilot and passengers on board the aircraft,” the companies said.