A member of one of Patrician Diamonds Inc.'s exploration teams has died in a helicopter accident in the Northwest Territories, while flying from one of its mines.

The Ottawa-based mining company said that on May 24, a helicopter carrying three people crashed near a drill site being drilled by Cabo Drilling Corp. on behalf of Patrician, 35 miles northeast of Norman Wells, or about 1,500 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

The helicopter's pilot and one passenger survived, but the remaining passenger was fatally injured.

All three people onboard the aircraft were part of a diamond exploration team, Patrician said in a statement, and had been flying from a campsite in the area of Doctor Lake, where the company had just begun drilling earlier this month.

"We are deeply saddened by this event and extend our prayers and condolences to the family of the deceased, as well as our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery to those injured in the crash," the company's statement read.

Patrician also thanked the agencies and authorities who assisted in the initial response, including the medical staff at the accident site, the doctor and nurses at the Norman Wells Health Centre, and the Norman Wells RCMP detachment.