Laos has recovered all 23 bodies from the plane crash.

The Lao Ministry of Defense announced on July 30 that, after four days of effort, authorities had concluded the search for the bodies of the victims of the Mi-17 military helicopter crash (number 34062) north of Luangsay village, Longcheng district, Saysomboun province, with the recovery of all 23 bodies of the victims on board.

The Mi-17 34062 before the accident. Photo: KPL

The Mi-17 military helicopter was carrying 23 people, including 4 crew members and 19 passengers. When contact with air traffic control was lost at 1:10 PM on July 27th, the helicopter was en route from Vientiane to Xieng Khouang - Hua Phan for a mission.

Upon receiving the report, the Lao Ministry of Defense dispatched a task force to search along the flight path. However, this process faced numerous difficulties due to extremely bad weather, including heavy rain, strong winds, and dense fog. Furthermore, the crash site was located in a remote, mountainous area, making it inaccessible to aircraft and vehicles.

In response to this situation, the Lao Ministry of Defense was forced to deploy ground search forces, and by the morning of July 29th, these forces had reached the crash site. With the recovery of all 23 bodies of those on board, Laos has concluded its search for victims of the crashed Mi-17 military helicopter.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. However, bad weather may have been a contributing factor to this tragic event.

According to VNA