The information was given by Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).
The Bell-505 helicopter
At around 5 pm on Wednesday, a Bell-505 helicopter took off to take four passengers on a sight-seeing tour of Ha Long Bay. Just 20 minutes later, it lost contact with air traffic control.
More than 600 people were mobilised for the rescue. By mid-Thursday, the bodies of four people on the helicopter had been found, including the 59-year-old pilot. The broken pieces of the aircraft were also detected near the bodies.
Search and rescue workers are still looking for the fifth person. The four passengers including three women and a man aged between 59-65 are from the central city of Danang.
Broken pieces of the aircraft are recovered on May 6
Ha Long Bay helicopter tours cost VND2.2-6.16 million for each person, depending on the time and different kinds of seats. For instance, the 10-minute tour with front seats is VND2.2 million. The cost of the 30-minute tour is VND5.88-6.16 million.
The Vietnam Helicopter Corporation also offers helicopter tours to other tourist spots, including Danang, Mai Chau, Mu Cang Chai and Vung Tau-Con Dao.
