Fourth body found in tourist helicopter crash near Ha Long Bay

The body was found at 9:30 a.m. inside the helicopter at Hon Dep Island in the waters between Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong.

Earlier on Wednesday night, the body of Colonel Chu Quang Minh, 59, the pilot of the helicopter that carried four tourists, was found in the area.

Pieces of the Bell 505 helicopter found at sea in Quang Ninh Province on April 5, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Hoa

Four of the five victims’ bodies have been found, while the other, another female tourist, remains missing.

At around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, military personnel found two bodies alongside pieces of helicopter fuselage.

On Wednesday night hundreds of people and dozens of vessels belonging to the army, border guard, port, police, and fishermen continued to search for the remaining two in the waters between Lan Ha Bay in Hai Phong and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province.

The government has instructed related authorities to investigate the cause of the accident and review the entire process of organization of the flight.

The Bell 505 helicopter belonging to the state-owned Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company took the tourists on an aerial tour of Ha Long Bay, taking off from Tuan Chau Island at 4:56 p.m.

Ground control lost its radio signal at 5:15 p.m.

The helicopter, which was regularly used for tours, had been bought by the company in 2019.