Helicopter crashes in Lan Ha Bay, 5 people killed.
According to information from the Propaganda Department of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, a helicopter crashed in the area bordering Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) and Lan Ha Bay (Hai Phong).
The crashed aircraft was a Bell-505, registration number VN-8650, belonging to the Northern Helicopter Company under the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (Army Corps 18), piloted by Colonel Chu Quang Minh, carrying four Vietnamese tourists on a sightseeing tour of Ha Long Bay. It took off at 4:56 PM and lost contact at 5:15 PM.
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| The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter belongs to the Northern Helicopter Company, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (Army Corps 18). |
As soon as the aircraft lost contact, the Northern Helicopter Company coordinated with the Border Guard and local military forces to urgently conduct search and rescue operations. At 7:18 PM, forces at the scene reported recovering two bodies along with some debris believed to be from the aircraft at the shoreline, coordinates 20°51'51.2"N-107°01'13.4"E.
The Bell 505 is a new generation, lightweight helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter of the United States in 2018. The aircraft is certified safe by the US Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EUASA).
Authorities are currently actively searching for them.
