Watch Plane crashes in Canadian Arctic, 12 killed

Resolute Bay: A chartered Boeing 737 plane crashed Saturday afternoon as it was approaching an airport in Canada's Arctic region, killing 12 people, police said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the plane went down near the tiny hamlet of Resolute Bay in the Arctic territory of Nunavut. The First Air charter flight, number 6560, was traveling from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories to Resolute Bay, and was scheduled to continue on to Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island.Christelle Legault, a spokesman for the governor general, said no one from Johnston's official delegation was on the plane that crashed. Johnston is the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as Canada's head of state.

"Sharon and I are deeply saddened by the catastrophe that occurred in Resolute Bay, where an airplane crashed earlier this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragic event," Johnston said in a statement. "I was able to witness first hand the professionalism and dedication of our Canadian Forces and civilian organizations as they responded quickly and effectively to this catastrophe."

Harper said in a statement that he was deeply saddened by the news and thanked the military for their rescue efforts.

Despite its remote location far above the treeline, Resolute is known as the nexus of the North, a frequent staging community for scientific, military and commercial expeditions. It's also the base for the Canadian Polar Continental Shelf project, a federal institution that handles logistics for Arctic researchers. Resolute is also the planned location of the army's new winter warfare school.