Inquest for five Snowdonia helicopter victims delayed

Ruth and Kevin Burke were killed in the crash

An inquest into the deaths of five family members killed in a Snowdonia helicopter crash could be delayed by up to a year for an accident investigation to be concluded.

Three brothers and two of their wives from the Milton Keynes area died in the Rhinog Mountains crash on 29 March.

Caernarfon Coroner's Court heard they had been travelling to Dublin.

Dewi Pritchard Jones, senior coroner for North West Wales, opened and adjourned the inquest on Thursday.

Brothers Kevin, 56, Donald, 55, and Barry Burke, 51, were killed in the crash along with Kevin's wife Ruth, 49, and Donald's wife Sharon, 48.

The coroner told the inquest he could not continue until an investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) had concluded.

He said from his experience of previous inquests involving aircraft accidents, their work and final report would take up to a year to complete.

All of the bodies have been identified and funerals have taken place, he added.