GOLDEN, British Columbia, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Rescue officials in southeastern British Columbia set out Friday to recover the body of a helicopter pilot who crashed a day earlier with eight passengers.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Golden said they received a call about the crash about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., reported.

The aircraft was returning to its Purcell Helicopter Skiing Ltd., base in Golden, carrying two staff members and six ski passengers, two of whom weren't Canadian, the RCMP said.

The pilot was killed int he crash but the ski passengers were able to walk away from the wreckage and the two Purcell employees were injured. One was treated and released in Golden while the second was evacuated by air ambulance to a hospital in Calgary, Alberta, the Canwest News Service reported.

Severe weather hampered the rescue effort in the mountainous area and the decision was made to delay recovering the unidentified 44-year-old pilot's body until Friday, the reports said.

Federal aviation officials were also expected on the scene Friday.