The body of the last victim of the helicopter crash was recovered on the morning of April 7, according to local media.
The navy force locates and lifts the helicopter's wreckage from the water. |
Around 8 a.m., the fifth passenger, Nguyen Thi Hoi, 60, was found. Her body was found by rescuers 30 meters from the crash site.
After the helicopter wreckage was recovered on April 7, local authorities and the navy are nearly wrapping up the search and rescue operation.
On April 5, at around five o'clock in the afternoon, a helicopter took four people on a sightseeing flight over Ha Long Bay. Contact between the pilot and the control center was lost after 20 minutes.
Local fisherman Vu Van Dan, 54, and his son were the first to witness the accident.
According to him, the helicopter "spun out of control, almost collided with a fishing boat on its way down, and crashed into the water.
"The helicopter crashed and exploded into pieces, scattering over the site.
Dan and his son, along with other fishermen, alerted the Navy to the situation and took part in the rescue effort.
The five killed were 59-year-old pilot Chu Quang Minh and four Vietnamese tourists from the central coastal city of Da Nang.
The bodies of the first two victims, Pham Thi Be, 65, and Ho Ta Luc, 59, were found two hours after the crash, along with pieces of the helicopter floating on the water.
Pilot Minh was located and recovered later on the night of April 5. The next morning, rescuers found and extracted the fourth victim, 51-year-old Ho Thi Oanh.
Later on April 6, the black box recorder from the chopper was retrieved from the water. Along with the recovered parts, the recorder was returned to Tuan Chau Island for more research.
On April 6, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered the Ministries of National Defense and Public Security and local authorities to investigate the disaster and correct any anomalies that may have contributed to it.
He also asked related units to evaluate technical flight standards to ensure such incidents don't happen again.
As the crash is considered a "serious accident," the Prime Minister also asked local authorities to provide financial and psychological support to the victims' families.
The wrecked helicopter, a Bell-505 with serial number 8650, was owned by the State-owned Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and Bell Helicopter, the manufacturer of the wrecked helicopter, have volunteered to assist in the accident investigation.
In addition, all travel and sightseeing flights are currently prohibited in Vietnam until further notice.
A contingent of more than 600 personnel from Border Guard of Quang Ninh Province and Haiphong City, the Vietnam People's Navy, and the Vietnam Coast Guard are conducting the search and rescue operation.
