Sret du Qubec spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said the helicopter reportedly experienced difficulties before going down around 2:30 p.m. Firefighters put out the resulting fire within an hour, but all four occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Provincial police have not identified the victims or said what caused the crash. Bilodeau said investigators are looking into possible mechanical trouble.
Sainte-Brigide-d'Iberville is a small municipality, and a crash of this scale is the kind of event that touches nearly everyone nearby, from the firefighters who responded to neighbors who heard or saw it happen. Four families are now left waiting on answers police can't yet give them.
No word yet on where the helicopter was headed or why it was flying that route, details that could shape how investigators piece together what went wrong.