Published : Nov. 2, 2019 - 11:51
A submarine rescue ship of South Korea's Navy was on a mission Saturday to find victims of a rescue chopper that crashed near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea earlier this week.
A helicopter belonging to the fire agency crashed Thursday night, a few minutes after it took off from Dokdo, with seven people reportedly on board, including an injured person from a fishing boat.
Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters
Rescue workers located a part of the wrecked chopper Friday and found a body believed to be one of the seven missing people.
"The Korea Coast Guard will maintain its search and rescue operation in the sea, with the Navy focusing on an underwater mission," the Coast Guard said.
The Navy's Cheonghaejin submarine rescue ship arrived at the scene Friday to join the night search operation for which 14 ships and four helicopters were mobilized.
"Using remotely operated underwater vehicles, the salvage ship will focus on locating the fuselage of the chopper and searching for those on board," it added.
When asked by reporters about the time needed to lift the wrecked chopper, the maritime police said it depends on weather conditions. (Yonhap)