Compass Group CEO, Richard Cousins has died in a plane crash along with his fiance, Emma Bowden, Bowden’s 11-year-old daughter Emma and Cousins’ two sons William Cousins, 25, and Edward Cousins, 23.
In all, six people were killed in the accident including five family members. Gareth Morgan, 44, was piloting the doomed New Year’s flight which crashed into the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, Australia Sunday. Reports say Morgan worked for Sydney Seaplanes.
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British couple, Cousins, 58, and Bowden, 48, were in the process of returning to the Sydney Seaplanes headquarters along with their families after attending a gathering at a waterside restaurant in Sydney when the crash occurred. All aboard were killed.
Grim photos from the scene showed the Sydney Seaplanes aircraft still submerged in the water. The craft would remain there for “several days,” according to reports.
Cousins was said to be just months away from retirement after helming the successful catering company for 11 years.
“Richard was known and respected for his great humanity and a no-nonsense style that transformed Compass into one of Britain’s leading companies,” Compass chairman Paul Walsh said in a statement.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and an investigation is currently pending.
“We have spoken to a number of witnesses,” Acting Superintendent Michael Gorman told reporters, adding that forensic police would inspect the plane to assess when it could be raised from the seabed.
“It’s too early in the investigation so we don’t know why the plane crashed.”
The deaths of the five family members comes on the heels of another fatal crash in Costa Rica on New Year’s Eve which took the lives of five members of an American family (pictured below.)
Our thoughts and prayer go out to the family and friends at this difficult time.