Engine and 2 bodies found in the area where CASA 212 plane went missing

(Baonghean.vn) -On June 23, in addition to finding the engine suspected to be from the CASA-212 plane, search forces also discovered two bodies. Authorities are investigating whether these are two of the nine missing people.

* According to the Ministry of National Defense, on the morning of June 23, the search and rescue force of the Ministry of National Defense and participating units determined the location of the CASA-212 aircraft with registration number 8983 at a depth of 50-60 m below sea level, 15 nautical miles south-southeast of Bach Long Vi. Also at the above location, the search force found an unidentified body, possibly a member of the CASA-212 crew.

On the morning of June 23, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, Chairman of the National Committee for Search and Rescue, boarded ship CSB 8002, where the search command center for the CASA-212 plane and its nine missing crew members is located.

Present at the scene to encourage, inspect and direct the search and rescue work, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, on behalf of the Prime Minister, acknowledged the efforts of the forces participating in the search and rescue in recent days.

* At around 4:00 p.m. on June 23, SAR 411 ship of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (Vietnam MRCC) discovered another body about 6 nautical miles northeast of Bach Long Vi Island (Hai Phong).suspected to be a member of the CASA-212 flight crew. After being rescued, Navy medical ship 561 handed over the body to forensics for examination.

According to Lieutenant General Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, there are currently nearly 40 ships from the Navy, Coast Guard, Air Defense - Air Force, Fisheries Surveillance and fishermen operating 24/7 in the area where the CASA plane crashed, with the highest determination to urgently search for victims and the black box.

The Minister of National Defense and Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army has directed forces to continue efforts to speed up the search, quickly verify and clarify initial information, and regularly report results to the Ministry of National Defense.

Meanwhile, according to VTV, hospital ship 561 has received the body and is waiting for the Ministry of National Defense's forensic department to determine whether the two bodies belong to the 9 crew members of the CASA-212 plane.

Location of CASA-212 aircraft lost contact. Graphics:Nguyen Anh/GoogleMaps.

* CASA-212 aircraft with registration number 8983 lost contact at 12:30 on June 16, at coordinates 19o25'40"N-107o19'54"E (about 44 nautical miles south-southwest of Bach Long Vi island in Hai Phong city) while flying to search and rescue the pilot of the Su-30MK2 aircraft that had crashed earlier.

On board the plane were 9 officers and soldiers, led by Colonel Le Kiem Toan, Brigade Commander of Brigade 918 of the Air Defense - Air Force.

Afterwards, the search and rescue team recovered some parts of the CASA-212 plane including pieces of the frame, tires and left rear landing gear.

Touching story of soldier's piggy bank on CASA-212 Lieutenant Le Duc Lam, an air mechanic of CASA aircraft number 8983, started saving money in a piggy bank since he found out his wife was pregnant. After 6 months, he had saved 1.6 million. Coming to the 918th Air Transport Brigade (Hanoi) these days, the spirit of being on duty and ready to fight is still maintained seriously. But in that seriousness, it is not difficult to recognize the worry on the faces of each soldier. They are suffering a common pain, the pain of soldiers when their comrades have not returned as promised. Saturday is over, why isn't he home yet? The conversation between me and Colonel Ngo Quang Trung, An-26 navigator of Squadron 1, was interrupted by his tears of sorrow for his comrade whom he affectionately called “The foolish nephew”. For Colonel Trung, the memory of young Lieutenant Le Duc Lam (31 years old), an air mechanic of Brigade 918, from Van Hoi, Ninh Giang, Hai Duong is always full of memories. He choked up as he shared: “My wife is on a business trip. Fearing that I would be sad, she promised me that she would take me out for bun cha this Saturday. Saturday is over, why hasn’t she come back yet?” Lieutenant Le Duc Lam (left) and his teammates on a flight. File photo.

PV Synthesis