Two air crashes, less than a month apart, en route to the same diamond mine, are bound to raise safety concerns.

They both happened on flights to Rio Tinto's Diavik mine, in Canada's remote and frozen Northwest Territories, 200 miles from the Arctic Circle.

The first was on 27 December 2023, when an Air Tindi de Havilland DHC-6-300 ski-plane came down about seven miles from Diavik.

There were no fatalities, thankfully, although the two of those on board suffered "moderate to serious" injuries.

The second happened earlier this week, on 23 January, when a Northwest Air Jetstream twin turboprop airliner crashed moments after take-off from Fort Smith Airport. It has now been confirmed that six people died.

Investigations into both incidents, by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will no doubt be long and complex.

But we already know that they involved different planes, different operators, different airports and different crash sites.

The aircraft involved in the first crash was a 49-year-old ski-plane, designed for take-offs and landings on ice.

It was forced to land, for reasons that are not yet clear, about 10 miles southeast of Diavik, on a frozen lake.

It is thought to have been heading for a work depot along the route where the mine's winter road was being built, rather than its private airport.

It came to rest on a snow ridge in weather conditions that were poor, with strong winds, blowing snow, and low visibility.

Pilots on the Aviation Herald discussion forum have speculated that there may have been a "white-out" - heavy snow that completely obscures the pilot's view.

The two crew and eight passengers were rescued by helicopters after a night in an emergency heated tent. There's general agreement that they were extremely lucky to survive.

Sadly those involved in this week's crash were not so fortunate. We now know that two crew members and four Diavik workers died. A fifth mine worker, the lone survivor, was taken to hospital for treatment in Yellowknife.

"Shortly after takeoff on Runway 30, the aircraft collided with terrain. There was a post-impact fire and the aircraft was destroyed," said the Transportation Safety Board in an initial report.

Diamonds have an unfortunate habit of turning up in the world's most inaccessible locations and in the most inhospitable climates.

Almost half of all rough diamonds - the vast majority of Russia and Canada's output - come from mines within 1,600 miles (2,600km) of the North Pole.

Air travel is often the only way to reach diamond deposits that are truly off-grid, with no road access.

Flying is, by all metrics, far safer than driving in terms of death of injury per driver or passenger.

But remote destinations and hostile weather conditions inevitably put flights to a near-Arctic diamond mine into a higher-risk category.

The tragic loss of six people in Tuesday's crash has devastated the tight-knit town of Fort Smith (population 2,600), from where the plane took off. Its three churches came together last night to hold a candle-lit vigil.

The crash last month was a very near-miss that could have cost another 10 lives.

There's nothing to indicate a common cause of the two incidents, as noted above, but they do serve to underline the inherent dangers in the diamond endeavor.

Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said: "We are feeling numb with the devastating news that we have lost dear friends and colleagues. I extend our deepest sympathy to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who have been affected by this tragedy. I am heading to the Northwest Territories to be with our team and to offer our full support."

We reached out to Rio Tinto to talk about safety concerns in the aftermath of the crashes, but had no response at time of posting.