Investigators in Canada were today working to establish what caused First Air charter flight 6560 to crash on Saturday with the loss of 12 lives.

All four crew members and eight passengers were killed when the Boeing 737-200 came down on Saturday, with three more people left in hospital, including a seven-year-old girl.

The First Air flight had been travelling from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, when it came down five miles from the airport.

The three injured passengers were initially Medivac’d to Iqaluit for further treatment.

Two of the three passengers have since been moved to Ottawa, while the third remains in Iqaluit in stable condition.

“At this time the cause of the accident is unknown,” said First Air vice president of marketing and sales, Chris Ferris.

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is conducting an investigation and First Air is cooperating fully.

“Our thoughts and focus are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew; and the community of Resolute Bay,” added Ferris.

At the request of the TSB, plane manufacturer Boeing will join the United States National Transportation Safety Board to provide technical assistance to the TSB in its investigation.

Field teams, including counsellors, have been deployed to provide support in Resolute Bay, Yellowknife and other main stations in our network.

“We would like to thank the Canadian Military whose on-site presence and immediate response was instrumental in the rescue efforts,” concluded Ferris.