The remains of six people who were onboard a Hawaii helicopter which crashed on Friday have been found.
The helicopter's wreckage was discovered on the island of Kauai after it went missing with seven - including two children - on board. The crash site is part of the Kōke'e state park.
The fate of the passengers and pilot was initially unclear, with poor weather and the rugged terrain making the search difficult.
Authorities hoped those onboard would be found alive, but on Saturday (NZ Time) officials confirmed that the remains of six people had been found.
The seventh person remains missing and search efforts have had to be called off due to fog. They will continue when fog is expected to ease on Sunday, but they don't believe the individual has survived.
The identities of the dead have not yet been released while next of kin is notified.
"We are heartbroken by this tragedy and we continue to ask the public to consider the sensitive nature of this devastating situation," said Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of all victims during this extremely difficult time."
The tour group is believed to have been made up of two families.
The helicopter had been on a typical sightseeing route around Hawaii's Nā Pali coast when it went missing. The company which owns it, Safari Helicopters, notified officials when it didn't arrive back on ground at its scheduled time.
The last contact from the pilot had been roughly an hour and a half before authorities were alerted. This took place as the helicopter went over Waimea Canyon, a popular tourist destination.
The helicopter had an emergency electronic locator transmitter on it, but no signal was received. Three representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Officials from agencies such as the coast guard, police department, fire department, and the Navy have been involved in the search.
Kauai is one of the US state's northern islands. About 80 percent of it is uninhabitable.
