Pilot’s body in helicopter crash in Quang Ninh found

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

Three victims of the crash have been found, while the other two are still missing.

On Wednesday night, hundreds of people and dozens of vehicles of the army, border guards, port authorities, police, traffic and fishermen searched for the remaining two missing people in the bordering waters between Lan Ha Bay of Hai Phong and Ha Long Bay of Quang Ninh.

Government leaders have directed units to investigate the cause of the accident and handle violations if there are any. The entire process of flight command and control, as well as aviation technical assurance, must be reviewed. The tour organizers must learn from this accident and immediately improve to ensure the safety of flights, they said.

Chairmen of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh were assigned to coordinate with the Ministry of National Defense in search and rescue and overcoming the consequences of the accident. The Ministry of Transport is responsible for assisting people, vehicles and equipment in salvage and rescue, and coordinating with the defense ministry in ensuring flight safety and aviation technology.

The Bell 505 helicopter belonging to the state-owned Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company was piloted by Colonel Chu Quang Minh with four tourists on board.

The group was taking a tour of Ha Long Bay. The helicopter took off from Tuan Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province at 4:56 p.m. and lost radio signal at 5:15 p.m.

At 7:18 p.m., a team of military personnel found two bodies alongside pieces of fuselage deemed to be the destroyed helicopter.

The helicopter was often used for tourism purposes. It was added to a group of aircrafts used for Ha Long Bay helicopter tours in 2019.