A private Maui contractor today removed the wreckage of the tour helicopter that crashed Thursday on Molokai, killing all five people aboard.

Catherine Cluett, a photographer and editor-in-chief of the Molokai Dispatch, said she witnessed the removal work, which began in the morning and continued until about 12:30 p.m.

A helicopter was used to remove the pieces of aircraft from a remote location in the hills behind Kilohana Elementary School.

Cluett said she saw no National Transportation Safety Board officials at the scene today.