The military helicopter that went missing 2 days ago in Laos have been found. The helicopter that had departed from Wattay international airport to Houaphan and Xieng Khuang provinces in northern Laos went missing after air traffic control room in Vientiane lost contact with the pilot at 1:30pm on Jul 27th.
Read : Military Helicopter With 19 Passengers And 4 Crew Members Missing In Laos Airspace
The helicopter was found crashed at a remote area of Xaysomboun province’s Longchaeng district, an official with Division 703 of the Lao Air Force told RFA’s Lao Service.
Yes, [rescuers] found it, but the remains [of the passengers] have not been brought back yet as [they] have only located the crash site,” the official said, suggesting it was too difficult to access.
It’s in Longchaeng district, near Phalamua village. They sent the national defense force first, but had to deploy a military force to assist with the rescue operation.”
The local farmers had reported the crash after they said they heard a loud crash not long after the helicopter flew past. The officials have visited the site and reported that the helicopter had crashed, but did not give details of the 23 people aboard the helicopter.
The source also said that the extreme weather in the region were the potential cause of the accident, and also causing the delay in rescue operations, as other helicopters could not reach the crash site.
A senior official from the Ministry of Defense said one of the patients in the crash is a top ranking military patient.
The identities of the passengers on the ill fated helicopter is yet to be revealed.