Officials identify victims from deadly Grand Canyon helicopter crash

The latest on the deadly helicopter crash that happened Saturday near the Grand Canyon is that investigators say a pilot and six passengers were on board when it went down.

The helicopter was operated by Papillon Tours out of Las Vegas and they offer 45 minute flights around the Grand Canyon.

Today, we were told the 42-year-old pilot, along with three passengers are in critical condition at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

The other three people on board were sadly killed. Officials have identified them as as 27-year-old Becky Dobson, 32-year-old Jason Hill and 30-year-old Stuart Hill, all from the United Kingdom.

Francis Bradley, Chief of Police for the Hualapai Nation Police Department says the helicopter crashed around 5 p.m. Saturday near Peach Springs on the Hualapai Reservation.

"We were hampered with severe weather conditions... dust up to 50 mph .. terrain where crash occurred is rugged…only accessible by aircraft," he said.

He commends first responders for getting to the scene quickly after hiking 20 minutes just to arrive.

Once there, it took several hours to fly victims out of the area.

"They stabilized them and kept them stabilized for more than eight hours that they were there," he said.

It's unclear right now what caused the crash.

"On behalf of the tribe... all extended our condolences to family and friends of this crash," Bradley said.

We're told the FAA is on scene and they're awaiting the NTSB to arrive.

We will keep you updated with what caused the crash.

>>VIDEO: NTSB news conference about the crash