One dead, five missing after helicopter crash off Greece, Trudeau says

A CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter is seen during a training exercise at 12 Wing Shearwater near Dartmouth, N.S. on March 4, 2015. The Canadian military says it has lost contact with one of its helicopters in the Mediterranean. In a statement, the military says the aircraft from HMCS Fredericton went missing during an exercise off the coast of Greece. It says a search-and-rescue operation is underway. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says six people were aboard the Canadian Forces helicopter that crashed off Greece during a training exercise.

He says one person is a confirmed casualty and five are still missing.

The helicopter was flying a mission from HMCS Fredericton, a Canadian frigate taking part in a NATO mission.

In a briefing in Ottawa, chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance says the one sailor confirmed to have died is Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough of Nova Scotia.

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Vance says there’s nothing worse than seeing fellow service members go over the horizon and losing contact with them.

Multiple NATO countries are in an ongoing search-and-rescue operation in the Ionian Sea, hoping to find survivors.