Last body from fatal Ha Long Bay copter crash found

The body of the last passenger of a helicopter carrying five people that crashed while on a sightseeing tour on Ha Long Bay two days ago was recovered on Friday morning.

Rescue forces recovered pieces of the aircraft on Ha Long Bay

A source told Dantri/Dtinews that the last victim was found at 8 am on April 7 in Cat Hai District, Hai Phong City, about a hundred metres away from where the helicopter crashed.

Rescue forces have also recovered the aircraft and found the black box.

Initial investigations showed that the helicopter had problems while on the tour and the pilot had tried to find a place for landing but failed. The aircraft has been brought to Tuan Chau Island in Ha Long City for further investigation.

The Bell-505 helicopter which belongs to the state-owned Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company took off from Tuan Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province at 4:56 pm and lost contact at 5:15 pm on April 5 while carrying four Vietnamese tourists on a sightseeing tour of Ha Long Bay from above. The helicopter was piloted by Colonel Chu Quang Minh, 59.

The bodies of the pilot and three passengers were recovered on Wednesday night and Thursday evening. According to local authorities, the four tourists included three women and a man aged between 59-65 and came from Danang City.

The helicopter has been used for Ha Long Bay helicopter tours since 2019.

The Vietnam Helicopter Corporation have decided to halt Ha Long Bay helicopter tours after the accident, according to Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.