Last body found in tourist helicopter crash in northern Vietnam

Rescuers on Friday morning found part of the body of the final victim in a helicopter crash near the world-famous Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam.

The victim is Nguyen Thi Hoi, 60, one of the four tourists from central Da Nang City taking a helicopter tour on Wednesday.

Rescuers are searching for the remaining part of her body.

The identity of four previous bodies has been determined and the four bodies have been handed over to their families for funeral.

The previously recovered victims were pilot Chu Quang Minh, 59, Ho Ta Luc, 59, Ho Thi Oanh, 51, and Pham Thi Be, 65, according to the People’s Committee of Ha Long City.

Of them, Hoi was Luc’s wife and Oanh was his younger sister, while Be was a friend of the family.

The body of Colonel Chu Quang Minh was handed over to his family on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the body of Oanh was cremated at the An Lac Vien cemetery in Ha Long City after reaching a consensus with her family.

The remains of Luc and Be were transported by road to their homes in Da Nang.

The Bell 505 helicopter involved in the incident piloted by Colonel Minh was carrying the four Vietnamese tourists who wanted to see Ha Long Bay from above when the accident happened.

It took off at 4:56 pm from Tuan Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province and lost contact at 5:04 pm.

Immediately after the crash, Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company, which managed and operated the helicopter, coordinated with local border guards and military forces to search for the victims.

At 7:18 pm on the same day, two bodies and debris deemed to be from the helicopter were found at the water edge.

Meanwhile, the body of the pilot was found at 1:30 am on Thursday morning and the fourth body was found at 10:15 am the same day.

The Bell 505 helicopter, which had five seats, was used for aerial tours over Ha Long Bay.

These tours typically last for 10 minutes, taking tourists to see Tuan Chau, Dau Go, Ga Choi, Titop Islands, Bai Tu Long Bay, and Reu Island before returning to Tuan Chau Island.

The new-generation helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter in 2018 was certified safe by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Bell Helicopter and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada have proposed helping Vietnam with a probe into the crash.

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