The helicopter involved in the incident was piloted by Major General Chu Quang Minh, carrying 4 Vietnamese tourists on a scenic tour of Halong Bay. The helicopter took off at 4:56 PM and lost contact at 5:15 PM Apr 5th, 2023. The bodies of 2 victims have been found.
In the evening of the same day, sources from the Cat Hai district leadership (Hai Phong city) said that the local area was coordinating with search and rescue forces to locate the victims of the helicopter crash that occurred a few hours earlier.
According to initial information, the helicopter crashed in the border area of Halong Bay (Quang Ninh) and Lan Ha Bay (Hai Phong).
At the time of the incident, there were 5 people on board, and the rescue forces have found two people and are concentrating their efforts to find the remaining individuals.
Boat owners operating in the waters around Cat Ba archipelago (Hai Phong) received a notification from the authorities regarding the helicopter crash. The authorities have also mobilized the vehicles operating in this coastal area to support the rescue and search operations.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the helicopter involved in the incident was a Bell-505, registration number VN-8650 of the Northern Helicopter Company under the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (Brigade 18).
The helicopter was piloted by Major General Chu Quang Minh, carrying 4 Vietnamese tourists on a scenic tour of Halong Bay.
The helicopter took off at 4:56 PM and lost contact at 5:15 PM.
Immediately after the helicopter lost signal, the Northern Helicopter Company coordinated with the Border Guard and local military forces to urgently search and rescue.
“At 7:18 PM, the forces at the scene reported that they had recovered 2 bodies and some debris believed to be from the helicopter at the location near the shore, coordinates 20051’51.2 “N-107001’13.43″ E” – according to information from the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense.
Source: tienphong
