Quebec seaplane crash: Death of teenagers 'devastating for all who knew them'

The deaths of two teenagers killed with their parents when their seaplane crashed in Canada on the last day of their sightseeing trip is "devastating for all who knew them", their schools have said.

Fiona Hewitt, 52, her husband Richard, 50, and children Harry, 14 and Felicity, 17, died when their aircraft hit a mountainside last Sunday, the Quebec Coroner's Office said.

The schools attended by Felicity and her younger brother Harry paid tribute to the two schoolchildren and said pupils and staff are "devastated by this loss".

In a joint statement Aylesbury Grammar School and Aylesbury High School, both in Buckinghamshire, said: "It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the loss of the Hewitt family in the air crash.

"Harry Hewitt was moving into year 10 at Aylesbury Grammar School and Felicity was due to start year 13 at Aylesbury High School. Both school communities are devastated by this loss.

"Harry was a quiet, humble and unassuming young man who excelled academically. He was a talented squash player and made a hugely positive contribution to the life of the school.

"He was due to start his GCSE courses in September and had a very bright future ahead of him.

"Felicity was a happy member of the school community. She had just completed her first year in the sixth form at Aylesbury High school and had just gained an excellent set of AS results.

"Her contribution to the wider school was valued by all who knew her. She had an infectious smile and was well liked and respected by all who came into contact with her.

"Both will be missed by everyone within the two schools and the wider community."

Headmaster of Aylesbury Grammar School Mark Sturgeon added: "We are all deeply saddened by this tragic news. To lose a young family in such circumstances is devastating for all who knew them.

"The two school communities are coming to terms with this terrible loss. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Hewitts."

The family, from Milton Keynes, were reportedly on the last day of their sightseeing trip to part of Quebec when the small aircraft they were travelling in crashed into the side of a mountain.

The impact was so severe nobody could have survived, and pilot Romain Desrosiers and French passenger Emilie Delaitre also died.

The family had been staying in Tadoussac, a village popular with tourists around 20km (12 miles) from where their plane crashed, according to the Journal of Quebec.

The plane, operated by Air Saguenay, took off from Lac Long in Tadoussac on a routine sightseeing flight before crashing.

A family member said relatives are "devastated by the news of this tragic incident and are struggling to come to terms with the loss of the entire family".

The coroner's office of Quebec said it will carry out further investigations into the deaths in the next few weeks and its findings will be published in a report in the coming months.