Updated 12:21

THREE ENGLISH MEN have been killed after a helicopter crashed in the Mourne Mountains yesterday afternoon.

The search operation for the people on board resumed this morning after the aircraft – which had taken off from the St Angelo airport in Fermanagh shortly beforehand – got into difficulties at the ‘Leitrim Lodge’ picnic area near Hilltown in Co Down at about 4pm yesterday afternoon amid heavy mist.

A multi-agency operation was launched shortly afterward, involving the coastguard, mountain rescue and officers from the PSNI. It is understood that the pilot and two passengers, all of whom were from the south-east of England, were returning from a shooting trip in Co Fermanagh when their aircraft encountered trouble.

“It is cold and it is a boggy area where the aircraft has been located, but there are tracks that will take them into it”, Ed Kilmore from the Mourne Mountain rescue team told UTV.

“It is terrain they are used to working in but it will be a very traumatic follow up.”

A local member of the Stormont Assembly, Jim Wells, said he had seen the helicopter before the accident, and that he thought the noise coming from the helicopter’s engine sounded unusual.

“I don’t know if that is in any way related to the tragedy,” he said, “but certainly it would seem that about a half an hour later the helicopter came down at the other side of the Mournes.”

The PSNI hope to be able to confirm more complete details of the accident later today.

RTÉ reports that the area surrounding the accident is well known for its picturesque scenery, and is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty – making helicopter flights relatively common in the area.

The Mournes’ highest peak, Slieve Donard, is 852m metres tall.