Air crash family 'cling to hope'

Mr Smith's body has so far not been recovered

The family of a man presumed dead after a helicopter crash in which six others died, say they are "clinging to hopes" his body will eventually be recovered.

A search for the body of Keith Smith, 57, from Stockton, was called off shortly after the Morecambe Bay crash involving gas rig workers in December.

Leslie Ahmed, 48, from South Shields and Alfred Neasham, 57, from Durham were among the men who died.

Mr Smith's family said they were looking for "closure" to the tragedy.

The helicopter was on a routine flight between rigs for gas firm Centrica when it crashed into the sea 25 miles off the coast.

'Immense efforts'

The aircraft's flight data recorder was recovered earlier this week and is at the Air Accidents Investigation Branch's (AAIB) headquarters in Hampshire.

In a statement released through Cleveland Police, Mr Smith's family said: "Obviously we would like the body of Keith to be found so that it can be returned to us and we have closure.

"We are still clinging to hope that this may happen.

"We are aware of the immense efforts of the emergency services to find Keith's body."

The other men who died were rig workers Robert Warburton, 60, from Heysham and John "Jake" Shaw, 51, from Fife.

Pilots Stephen Potton, 51, from Blackpool and Simon Foddering, 33, from Preston, also died.

An inquest into the deaths of the men was opened and adjourned earlier this month.